twd: the last silence

Chapter 41: The First Light

Axel waited.

Four hours.

He didn't move. He didn't speak. He just watched.

Every patrol path, every shift rotation, every weak spot, every shadow that moved—Axel saw it all.

The fires in the Hive were dying down, and the sky started to bleed orange at the edges.

The first light of the sun appeared slowly across the broken land.

Axel reached into his jacket and pulled out his communication device. No phones existed anymore. No satellites. Just this old piece of tech—something that used to belong to the police, long before the world died.

He clicked the side once. A soft static answered.

He spoke. Quiet but sharp.

"Hank."

A few seconds passed. Then a voice came through.

"Yeah?"

"I found them."

He gave him the location. Precise. Cold.

"Bring everyone. Don't wait."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone."

He paused, eyes still locked on the Hive below him.

"Leave just a few behind to guard the village. You stay too."

There was silence on the line. Hank didn't argue.

"Redd?"

"He leads the group. He'll know what to do."

Axel clicked the device off.

He didn't move for a few more minutes. He just watched as the sun started to rise, casting long shadows over the valley of monsters.

They had no idea what was coming.

But soon...

They would.

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Redd led the group through the broken road like a ghost cutting through silence.

He had the map Axel left, every mark circled in red.

He brought almost everyone.

Especially the important ones.

Axel's Numbers.

The Ten Numbers.

The Machine.

The Killers.

The ones who don't blink when they kill. The ones who Axel trained with blood and fire.

Every one of them followed Redd's lead.

They didn't talk.

They didn't complain.

They just moved like a shadow of death ready to fall.

And then…

After what felt like forever—

Axel saw them.

He stood up from the hideout on the cliff, just above the Hive.

Noah was beside him, quiet, small, but alert.

Axel walked down slow.

Redd saw him. He didn't smile. Didn't wave.

Axel just nodded once.

Then he turned to his soldiers. His monsters.

He gave no speech. No plan. Just orders.

"Number 10, Number 9, Number 8—stay here."

He pointed at the cars behind the ridge.

"You guard the vehicles. You guard Noah. If shit goes sideways—"

He paused. His eyes were sharp.

"You run. You run fast and don't look back. You leave everything behind."

No one argued. Not even Number 10.

Noah opened his mouth to speak but Axel raised a hand.

"Don't."

His voice wasn't angry.

It was final.

Then Axel turned.

He walked straight toward the Hive.

His hand resting on the katana by his waist.

His revolver on the other side.

The military knife hidden inside his boot.

Redd followed with the Numbers, silent and ready.

No war cry. No drums.

Just killers moving under the light of dawn.

And in Axel's head—

No glory.

No thoughts of saving the world.

He wasn't a hero. Never wanted to be.

He didn't care about Number 10 or 9 or 8.

He didn't care about the village, or Hank, or the people sleeping behind walls.

But if he died here—

He needed to make sure they wouldn't follow him.

If he died, there was no reason for Hank or the women and children to march to their graves just to honor him.

No.

If he goes—he kills them all. Or he dies trying.

There is no third option.

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