NOVEL WEB Chapter 154: The Words
Richmond, Virginia.
In the plaza of the Shirewilt Estates community.
Jason's group didn't rest after arriving at the shelter, knowing there were enemies lurking nearby. This time, Jason wasted no time and installed steel plates on the outside of the buses.
Even so, the appearance of these buses had undergone drastic changes. This alone gave off a sense of security, and the vehicle could later become much safer for the people inside. With just a few modifications, the appearance of these large trucks had become quite intimidating.
The time it took to secure these three buses—four, counting the one Jason's group already had—took many hours, even with the help of others.
After Jason decided to upgrade the buses, everyone with useful skills joined in. In just two days, everything was ready to leave this place.
However, even with everyone focused on the task, word spread from Bob that Ravi was dying from his severe wound.
Jason's group could tell Ravi's wife had been somewhat upset with them, but over the past few days, her attitude had shifted slightly.
At that moment, a group of people had gathered in Ravi's room. Jason was personally supervising while Bob examined the wounds. During this, Ravi seemed to regain consciousness.
Looking at Jason, who stood nearby with others from his group, Ravi pushed Bob's hand away, gently shook his head, and said in a weak voice, "Jason, call my wife. I need to speak with her."
Jason looked at Ravi and said nothing. He didn't need Bob's words to know this man was dying. He had seen it before: just before death, something in the human body sent one final signal from the brain that triggered a surge in hormonal activity, allowing many, even in agony, to stabilize for several minutes or hours.
But those outside the door didn't know this. They were happy to see Ravi in a more stable condition. Naturally, the happiest of them all was his wife. She held a bowl of soup and fed her husband in silence; her lips trembled slightly.
Ravi Kapoor, propped up in bed, simply smiled at his wife and enjoyed the moment, not caring about anything else.
His wife noticed something wasn't right and asked with a worried look, "Ravi, what's wrong? I should call Bob—I don't think you're okay..."
Ravi pushed her spoon-holding hand aside and gently took her arm. With a deep look of apology, he said, "Honey... You know I'm still determined to get everyone out of this place. It's impossible to live here any longer—the danger around us is too great. Those men could find this place at any moment, and I don't want anyone in danger."
His wife looked at him, hurt, and said, "You look much better. You shouldn't worry about those things. I'll take good care of you, and we'll talk once you've recovered."
Ravi met her eyes, then glanced at the door and said, "Honey, please help me call everyone. I have a few words to say."
Some time later, a group of people entered Ravi's room in silence. Seeing his wife leave, Ravi didn't want to drag things out and said, "Listen, I don't have much time, so I'll be blunt with all of you. I hope this accident won't affect anyone's decision to leave this place. We were attacked suddenly, so no one is to blame."
"The group Noah brought did everything possible to keep me safe. Now, I can only blame my bad luck, and my only wish is for you to take my wife with you when you leave. I don't care if she agrees. Can you promise me that?"
Crash!
At that moment, the sharp sound of glass shattering echoed from beyond the door. Hearing this, Ravi sensed what had happened and slowly turned his head. Sure enough, he saw his wife standing at the doorway with tears in her eyes.
Sighing with pain, he motioned for her to sit beside his bed. He took her hand and said, "Honey, you know this isn't anyone's fault. Even though I was shot, I heard and vaguely saw that everyone did their best to protect me."
At those words, everyone closed their eyes in sorrow at seeing Ravi in that state, but at the same time, they were more determined than ever to leave this place and make Ravi's efforts and sacrifice worthwhile. Many of them also glanced at Ravi's wife with worried expressions.
Hours later, Ravi's condition worsened steadily. That night, under candlelight, a middle-aged couple held hands. Ravi's wife had red eyes, but she never left his side.
Those nearby wanted to approach and persuade her to rest, but the older woman pulled out a knife and said coldly, "Listen, if any of you dare to separate me from my husband, I won't hesitate to drive this knife into my neck and die right here in this room."
"Please, remember what your husband said!" a woman who knew her stepped forward, trying to reason with her somehow.
But the knife in Ravi's wife's hand moved closer to her neck, and everyone recoiled in fear.
With nothing else they could do, everyone said their goodbyes and left the room, leaving the couple alone.
Touching her unconscious husband's face, she smiled gently and said, "Ravi, remember that we vowed to die together if we never had children. I still believe that my life has no meaning in this world if you're not beside me."
She lay down next to her husband, rested her head next to his, and listened to his faint breathing, closing her eyes.
The others who had left the room exchanged glances and then all returned to their homes. They still had to prepare their things and be ready to leave this place.
Just when everyone was halfway home, a sharp whistle rang out from the watchtower. Everyone froze, only to see Jason's group moving in the distance.
At that moment, the exterior was being overrun by walkers—without anyone noticing!
Jason, who had just received Liam's report, climbed up the modified RV and looked around, only to discover that the situation was dire. A large group of walkers was emerging from the forest and heading toward the main gate of the shelter.
With that, everyone in Jason's group could guess what had happened: the Wolves had found this place.
That's right—this was definitely the work of the Wolves. To avenge the deaths of dozens of their own, they had even gone so far as to lure the walkers directly to attack this refuge!
The Wolves, from the original world, are a ruthless group unafraid of death, willing to wield knives, guns, or any kind of weapon to inflict harm. But this time, Jason had never imagined they'd launch an attack using walkers.
"Boss! What should we do? We're surrounded!"
Jason silently looked at the walkers closing in on the gate. He knew the main gate wouldn't hold for long. Although it could withstand a good number of walkers, the horde was growing rapidly.
Wasting ammo and effort to clear the walkers wasn't something Jason was interested in. So he shouted to his group:
"Alert everyone immediately—we have to get out of here!"
After saying that, he stood in silence, gripping his rifle tightly, watching the walkers in the distance, and coldly calculating his next move.