Kevin's quick pace accelerated until he was almost running. The people in the street were giving him curious looks, but they didn't stop him.
Because of her age, Isabella couldn't move as fast as Kevin and fell behind. George stayed a few paces ahead of her, trying to keep nearby while maintaining a line of sight on Kevin.
"Lower the ramp," Kevin ordered a crane operator. "We're leaving."
"No can do," the man denied. "Only the Governor authorizes who comes and goes. You need to speak with him."
Kevin turned away in frustration. Before heading back to the wall where he'd last seen Clark, he imparted hurried instructions to his companions. "Stay here. I should be back in no time."
George nodded, and Isabella leaned against the wall, working to catch her breath.
Kevin didn't bother trying to remain inconspicuous, breaking into a full sprint. He unintentionally bumped into a few people along the way, offering a quick apology without slowing pace.
He knew he was wasting valuable minutes crossing back and forth through town when he should already be outside, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the incoming horde of zombies. Fortunately, he met the Governor when he was returning to his office in the middle of Walton.
"Governor!" Kevin shouted, not wanting to miss his opportunity to speak with the man.
Clark paused in front of the government building and turned in Kevin's direction. "Yes?"
"We need your authorization to leave Walton," Kevin explained between gasps for breath.
"Of course," Clark agreed. "I have some things for you to take with you."
Clark motioned for Kevin to follow him inside the house. Entering the parlor near the front doors, Clark began handing things to Kevin.
"Here's an updated map of the area, containing known locations of scavenger encampments and zombie hordes," Clark explained.
"There was a military base around here somewhere," Kevin stated.
"It's on there," Clark promised. He handed over the next item, a large and heavy bag. "This contains guns, ammunition, and a few weapons we won't be needing after the zombies surround us. I wish I could offer you a place here, but these supplies are all I can manage."
"I understand," Kevin accepted, taking the bag and shouldering the heavy weight. He put the map into a side pocket on the bag. "I appreciate this; it could definitely help us last long enough to get where we're going."
"Is there any place you can go where it will be safe?" Clark asked.
"We have some ideas, but we don't know if we'll be able to pull it off before the hordes catch up with us," Kevin admitted.
"If you do make it, send us word," Clark suggested, handing over a small bird in a wooden cage. "Perhaps we can still be of help, even from a distance. We know a great deal about having a self-sufficient city, and Sanctuary has done very well in that regard as well."
"Thank you, Governor," Kevin said as he took the birdcage.
"You better get going," Clark advised. "It won't take the undead long to surround the wall. I'll stay here and raise a flag to let the crane operators know you have permission to depart. I wish you well."
"Likewise," Kevin returned. He shook Clark's hand firmly and headed down the street at a brisk jog. He would've gone faster, but the heavy bag he carried weighed him down, and he didn't want to jostle the bird he was carrying too much.
When Kevin arrived at the inner wall, the crane operator had noticed the flag flying at the Governor's house and positioned a ramp on the inner wall. Kevin quickly climbed the fire escape style ladders to the top and hurried down the ramp.
George and Isabella, having already used the ramp, crossed the space between the walls, and climbed the ladders on the outer wall, waved encouragingly to him.
Kevin was breathing hard but redoubled his efforts and started the climb on the outer wall ladders. When Kevin neared the top, the crane operator moved the ramp from the inner wall to the outer one, allowing him an easy walk down to the ground outside the city. The ramp lifted up again after Kevin stepped off, ending all possibility of anyone entering or leaving Walton as long as the zombie threat endured. The city was now isolated but safe.
"This bag is heavy," Kevin said, setting it down and flexing his muscles where the strap had dug into his shoulder.
"What's in it?" Isabella asked.
"Weapons, ammunition, and equipment Walton wouldn't need any more," Kevin answered. "Consider it a parting gift from the Governor in regret for being unable to let us stay."
"Let's see what's in here," George said, opening the bag and digging through the contents.
"Where do we go from here?" Isabella questioned.
"George and I came up with an idea last night about throwing a net over a forest or jungle," Kevin answered while breathing deeply, trying to recover from sprinting across the width of Walton twice and jogging across it once while carrying a heavy bag of supplies. "We could establish a safe haven in the treetops, out of reach of the undead."
"Sounds interesting," Isabella complimented.
"A military base is around here somewhere," Kevin continued. "The map the Governor provided is in the bag and shows its location, and if it's not infested with undead or scavengers, we might be able to find what we need."
"Hello," George said admiringly as he pulled out a katana from the bag. "This is a sword, the best ever made."
"I think you're about to get a chance to test it," Isabella commented, pointing to something behind him.
George turned and saw twelve zombies slowly moving around the curve of the wall, looking for an entrance. George set down the pack he carried and unsheathed the Japanese blade, holding up the curved weapon. The gleaming metal flashed in the sun like a mirror. "Let me show you something about superior craftsmanship."
George walked calmly toward the approaching zombies. The first one reached out toward him, making a low moan as its desiccated lungs sucked in a partial breath of air. With a two handed grip on the sword, George used a single pass of blade and neatly removed the zombie's head from its shoulders.
Continuing his momentum, George took a step forward and spun. The sword followed his arms and downed a second zombie. The sunlight reflecting off the blade caused lighting intense flashes as George mowed through all twelve of the leading elements of the undead horde in mere seconds.
Seeing George so swiftly cut down the undead reminded Kevin of the unease he'd felt when first meeting the priest. The man was a natural with a blade, and the weapon moved as if it were a part of him. Although it wasn't impossible for a priest to be a skilled fighter, it was unusual, and Kevin made a mental note to keep a closer eye on George.
Despite the dozen undead returned to the ground, more followed slowly in their wake, and a darting glance in the opposing direction found them approaching from both sides.
"Time to go!" Kevin declared, picking up the heavy bag of supplies. He and Isabella hurried away from the wall, and George scooped up his dropped pack as he rushed to join them.
The three survivors moved quickly to put some distance between themselves and the wall of Walton, taking cover among the many trees of the surrounding forest. The undead, having not noticed their departure, ignored the trio and concentrated on their searching of the wall for an entrance, their decayed hands scratching at the metal as if seeking a hidden door.
"Where to from here?" Isabella whispered, not wanting to give away their position by speaking too loud.
Kevin reached into the side pocket of the bag and pulled out the map Clark had given to him. Spreading the document out, he held it in such a manner George and Isabella could both get a good look at it.
"We're here," George said, pointing to Walton's western border. He traced his finger along the map toward the military base to the south. "Oh no."
"What is it?" Isabella inquired.
"There's a scavenger base between here and there," Kevin explained. "We'll have to go around."
"If the scavengers have a base between here and the military outpost, what are the chances they've already taken what we need?" Isabella asked.
"It's certainly not good," George admitted. "But, I don't see any other choice. It's our best option."
"More like our only option," Kevin corrected. "You said it yourself last night. The undead from the east are surrounding Walton, how long until the zombies from the west show up? We're being squeezed in the middle. We have to take a chance and get in there while we still have the option."
"Alright," George agreed. "I'll take point, and give me some of those guns; it'll lighten your load."
Kevin opened the bag and transferred some weapons and ammunition to George's pack to more evenly distribute the weight between them.
As they prepared to leave, they glanced back toward Walton and the undead surrounding it. The sight resembled an ocean wave in slow motion, gradually moving to surround a rock on the beach until it was completely enveloped. With their attention so focused on the city, neither Kevin, George, nor Isabella noticed the scavengers watching them from a nearby hill, and they didn't see the savages as they began moving closer.