TWD: Saving Merle First - Chapter 78: This Place Will Do, Hehe... (Patreon)

Wade drove southwest because Beth had told him there was a small rural gas station in that direction. It wasn’t very large, but it had enough fuel to keep the local farmers’ seeders and harvesters running.

If they continued along the highway for about another hundred miles, though, there was a much larger highway service area.

Wade immediately began doing the math in his head.

First, he needed to see how long the fuel at this smaller station could last them. If it could keep the camp supplied for three months, then clearing and securing that hundred-mile stretch of road might actually be worth considering.

He also made a mental note of the agricultural machinery and asked Beth in detail where the seeders and harvesters were located.

Eventually, he wanted every last one of them brought back to the farm.

It was already mid-May. In a little over half a month, the winter wheat planted throughout the surrounding farmland would begin ripening.

When that happened, it would become a race against nature.

They would need to harvest as much as possible in as little time as possible. Otherwise, the crops would simply rot in the fields.

That made the harvesters especially important.

Then there was the issue of storage.

Hershel’s barn had already been converted into a food warehouse, and there wasn’t much room left inside.

Wade didn’t feel comfortable storing the grain somewhere else, but building an entirely new barn just for wheat would take too much time and effort.

Maybe they could grind all of it into flour and vacuum-seal it for storage?

If they went that route, fuel consumption would become one of the camp’s biggest resource expenses.

Whether the whole plan was feasible would depend on how much fuel they could find.

Wade’s brow furrowed.

“Beth, besides that service area a hundred and fifty miles away, are there any other gas stations closer than that?”

Beth shook her head.

“No. There aren’t many people living around here, and there was never enough traffic to support another gas station.”

Wade sighed softly.

That made sense.

The area was excellent for agriculture, but the tradeoff was that its industrial infrastructure was much more limited.

Looks like after checking the nearby gas station today, he would still have to venture farther out.

Beth turned her face toward the window.

Her cheeks were slightly red, and her fingers kept fidgeting in her lap, making her look strangely nervous.

The pickup was moving at a decent speed, but there were plenty of turns and side roads along the way.

It took nearly an hour before Wade finally saw the gas station Beth had mentioned.

It was exactly as she had described.

Small.

There were only a handful of houses nearby, along with several adjoining little businesses, including an auto repair shop and a small restaurant.

Before Wade had even brought the pickup to a complete stop, the noise of the engine had already attracted the walkers inside the shops.

Low growls and raspy noises soon followed as they stumbled toward the truck.

Wade glanced outside.

There weren’t many.

A little over ten.

He could handle that himself.

He turned toward Beth.

“Stay in the truck for now. Let me clear out a safe area first, then I’ll come back for you, okay?”

Beth obediently nodded, then pulled out a Glock 17.

“I brought this, Wade. So you don’t have to worry. I can protect myself.”

Wade unbuckled his seat belt and gave a quiet nod.

With the M4 slung across his back and the fire axe in his hand, he climbed out of the pickup.

He strode forward and drove a front kick straight into the nearest walker.

The impact sent it flying backward, knocking several unlucky walkers behind it to the ground.

With some room to move, Wade raised the axe.

There wasn’t much technique to his movements, but they were clean and efficient.

It was almost like chopping wood.

Swing.

Pull back.

Swing.

Pull back.

The axe repeatedly came down on necks and arms.

Before long, severed limbs and bodies littered the ground, with walkers tumbling over one another everywhere.

Beth covered her mouth and stared with wide eyes.

Whenever Wade fought, the easygoing man she knew seemed to disappear completely.

He looked more like an enraged brown bear swinging its claws, tearing apart anything that came near him.

The longer she watched, the redder her face became.

She started shifting restlessly in her seat...

Wade continued advancing steadily through the walkers.

His movements were wide and powerful.

The area within several feet of him might as well have been forbidden ground. Not a single walker could enter it intact.

One final swing sent another head tumbling across the pavement.

Wade took a breath, then began finishing the job.

One absurd but perfectly consistent thing about walkers was that even if their necks were severed, their heads would keep functioning.

They could still bite.

Ridiculous, but logical...

Trying to ignore the stench, Wade repeatedly brought down the blunt side of the axe on their skulls.

It was like smashing watermelons.

Fluid splattered everywhere.

He wrinkled his nose in disgust, brought the axe down one last time, then headed back toward the pickup.

“Beth, you can come out now. Remember to take the keys.”

Hearing him call, Beth obediently pulled the keys from the ignition before opening the door and walking toward him.

She had barely taken a few steps before the thick stench of decay hit her.

She immediately gagged several times before gradually managing to adjust.

“Let’s go, Wade. This smells worse than cow manure in the barn.”

Wade nodded and led Beth toward a two-story wooden house.

“Wait here for a minute. I’ll check inside first. Once I know it’s safe, I’ll come back for you. Sound good?”

Beth nodded and looked over the house.

It wasn’t as nice as home, but...

It would do.

Wade set the fire axe aside and drew the Bowie knife from his waist before searching the house room by room.

Kitchen.

Bathroom.

Master bedroom.

Guest bedroom.

Study.

Only after confirming that there were no walkers inside did he put the knife away.

“Beth, stay inside while I’m gone. Lock the door. Don’t open it for anyone unless it’s me. Just wait until I get back.”

Beth put away her handgun and nodded.

“Okay. Go do what you need to do.”

For some reason, Wade thought he heard a hint of anticipation in her voice.

He didn’t think much of it.

He picked up the axe and headed outside.

Beth locked the front door behind him and went upstairs.

She opened the master bedroom.

A stale, musty smell immediately washed over her.

Beth stepped inside and ran a finger over the layer of dust covering the table.

She frowned in disgust.

Then she went into the bathroom and turned on the faucet.

Only after confirming that the water was still running did her expression finally relax.

Well...

Even so...

Hehe...

Beth grabbed a towel from the bathroom and began cleaning.

She wiped down the tables and chairs, opened the windows to air out the room, then pulled out a bottle of perfume and sprayed it around several times.

Finally, she opened the closet, found some bedding that had been stored away, and replaced everything on the bed in the master bedroom.

Once she finished, she threw herself onto the bed, buried her face in the pillow, and let out a strange little giggle.

“Hehe...”