System Of The Undead

Chapter 189: Arc Conclusion Part 4

The day advanced further and the community hadn’t experienced any zombie encroachment for quite some time now.

The main focus was on the chaos caused within the walls and how to subdue it.

They made progress and this was thanks to Israel’s confession, Dimitris was discussing with Bella because she had proven herself.

She was willing to dirty her hands if it meant for the stability of the community.

Dimitris couldn’t fault her dedication and decided to hand her his trust but this was also a test to see if she had experience in making bodies disappear.

Dimitris confirmed she wasn’t a newbie but he didn’t mind it, he preferred it even.

He took a sip of his whiskey as Bella tried her best to process the information before her.

"It can’t be..." Bella muttered before jumping to her feet.

Her reaction was natural but before the conversation could go any further, there was a loud bang on his door, interrupting the conversation.

"Who is it?" Dimitris asked.

"It is Mariam," The voice responded and Bella became anxious because something told her she wasn’t meant to be there.

"Mariam? Do you want me to hide or something?" Bella whispered but the fact that Mariam was the one coming to see him instead of the other way round showed the power this man held.

"You’re fine..." He responded before opening the door himself.

Mariam looked as hot as ever, he couldn’t believe that she was in her late thirties.

Bella gulped the moment their eyes met even though Mariam didn’t seem bothered by her presence.

"Bella, I see Dimitris has caught you up..." Mariam said, Bella instinctively got up to her feet to allow the lady to sit.

This was courtesy of respect, one that Mariam didn’t seem too keen on.

"You can sit," Mariam said, walking around the table to sit on the chair formerly occupied by Dimitris.

"Mariam, I don’t know what to tell you but everything these two have said so far was right. I can’t believe I didn’t act sooner," Dimitris apologized because it nearly claimed her husband’s life.

"It’s better later than never," Mariam said, crossing her legs.

"We have a suspect. Apprehend Franklin the moment he returns..." Mariam commanded revealing Franklin was the name that Israel spewed.

"About that..." Bella intervened, prompting both of them to give her their full attention.

"You said you got an anonymous alert to inform you of what was going on. There was no way anyone else could have known if they weren’t involved in this." Bella proposed a different perspective.

This had Dimitris contemplate for a second.

Franklin always did what he thought was right for the community, his recent endeavour that went against Dimitris’ order was proof of this.

However, there was some sense in what Bella was saying.

"Someone is trying to pin it on Franklin, they could very well be aware of the fact that he carried out this raid without Dimitris’ blessing. The same way they were aware of my dealings with Israel," Bella continued.

Mariam was impressed by her analytical skills because if Franklin was willing to disobey Dimitris for the sake of the community, what else was he willing to do for the sake of the community?

They were willing to give Bella’s theory a chance even though they knew it might backfire as Bella has proven herself capable.

-

Allison wasn’t a part of the conversation, she had returned to man the wall as this was her job.

She noticed that the alertness of the people had reduced but that was only natural considering the last couple of days have been peaceful.

Allison knew they needed this, being on alert 24/7 was exhausting and the fact that they made headway allowed her to have some peace of mind.

Dimitris had briefed her the moment he was done with Israel, she was the first he informed showing just how important he viewed her to his plans.

"Hey, you must be the new girl..." A voice called out, Allison jerked her head in its direction.

She was surprised that someone this good-looking could exist, it was Jeremy.

The man that Clementine had blown off a couple of days back but looks were the last thing that could make her lose composure.

"What’s up with him?" Allison thought, not letting down her guard for even a moment.

"Yes ma’am! I have returned to report that we have seen a vehicle moving towards the camp," Jeremy blurted out.

"A vehicle?" Allison knew that Franklin left with two so why was only one spotted or could it be someone else?

"Is it one of ours?" Allison asked to which Jeremy nodded in response.

Allison sprung into action as she demonstrated her leadership skills.

The people under her quickly assembled around the gates, ready to open fire should whatever it was inside that car prove to be a threat.

The car stopped a few meters from the gates, this was the procedure as he stuck his hand out of the window to make a sign.

This sign was the password to gaining entry, Allison heaved a sigh of relief as the gates sprung open.

The car drove in but then came the whispers, Franklin was the only one in the car and he looked like the human personification of shit.

Allison knew she had to confront him because Jason and Clementine should be with him.

This wasn’t even the car that he was in when they left, this was the one Debra was in.

Everyone backed off, allowing Franklin to exit the vehicle.

They could peep that there was food inside so whatever it was, Franklin’s raid was successful.

Allison rushed towards him, he had questions to answer naturally.

"Where are they?" Allison asked, not even allowing him to catch his breath.

"Who?" Franklin asked, they had lost everyone and right now, Allison’s face blended in with the rest of them.

"Clementine and Jason? What happened to them," Allison observed his state, it was clear that whatever he saw during this raid traumatized him.

She had to maintain her composure even though she wanted to grab him by the neck and shake some sense into him but she couldn’t lose it like that.

She had to remain composed.

"Have you forgotten the chain of command?" Franklin asked and Allison remembered that Mariam was the only person he owed any explanation.

He had no obligation to answer her questions if he didn’t want to.

"I know but they’re my family, is it so bad to want to know what happened to my family? They risked their lives for you all even though they barely knew any of you. I want to know if they died fighting to the very end," Allison said in a sorrowful tone, putting her acting skills to the test.

And it worked, it got the sympathy of those around her as she had managed to make them feel guilty for what might have happened to them.

Franklin knew walking away might paint him in a bad light as the crowds were already looking at him suspiciously.

Franklin took a deep breath before breathing out.

"They are alive and should be joining us shortly," Franklin said and Allison was so relieved to hear this.

"Thank you very much and welcome back. What are you all doing? Unpack what he has brought back for us!" Allison commended.

Franklin took a moment to process this because it looked like Allison was in charge.

He had questions but knew that now wasn’t the time for it.

Franklin needed some shut-eye, he felt like shit both physically and mentally, he had lost the one thing that made him believe in this condemned world.

There was no point fighting to survive, this was ultimately the fate that awaited everyone.

Franklin was confronted by a bunch of other families, wanting to know if their loved ones were alive.

But there was one person that he couldn’t even look in the eyes, that was Jeremy.

"Franklin, did my sister make it?" Jeremy asked, Franklin bit down on his lips, not sure what to tell the young man but he knew he had to say something.

"Debra is..." Franklin paused, he couldn’t tell her brother that he had failed to protect her because this entire thing was his fault but he had to take responsibility for it.

"... She made it," Franklin said, he couldn’t bring himself to tell him the truth.

He could barely handle the pain that came with her loss, this would break Jeremy.

"Man! I was so sure you were going to tell me she was a goner but then I remembered it was Debra. She couldn’t die even if she was shot in the head," Jeremy joked while laughing but behind that laugh, came tears.

"I’m so relieved... I’m so fucking relieved," Jeremy said, wiping the tears from his eyes but they wouldn’t stop rushing.

Franklin’s eyes had lost the light they once held as he walked past the small crowd that had gathered.

If Franklin knew trying to help the community came at such a cost, there was no way he would have made the decision.

He now understood why Dimitris was the one in charge of the raiders and not him.

Franklin let loose all the pent-up emotions inside him the moment he made it back home, sobbing and waiting in silence.