TWD - Chapter 583: The World Is Vast, and We've Only Just Begun (Patreon)

Far away, on the sixth floor of the Biology Building.

Twenty-three survivors crowded together at the windows, gazing through the glass at the firelight flickering near the stadium.

Jerry pressed his face against a pane. "Dad... they've lit a bonfire."

Harris stood behind his son, watching the flames too.

They had never dared light a fire that large after dark. The glow might draw walkers or raiders, and either could tear apart the fragile defenses they had struggled so hard to maintain.

Every night, they had curled up in corners like rats, hiding from the world. It had been the only way to keep themselves alive.

Yet those people at the stadium were burning a great bonfire in plain sight, as if announcing to the whole world: We're here. We're alive. We're not afraid.

The thin woman whispered, "A-aren't they scared?"

Harris took a long time to answer. "No. They're not."

Jerry looked around at him. "Why?"

"Because they're strong," Harris said, admiration in his eyes. "Strong enough not to be troubled by walkers. Strong enough that they don't have to fear any enemy."

Jerry hesitated, then turned back toward the glow. The yearning in his expression only grew.

The fire shone warmly in the darkness, offering a sense of comfort and hope they had almost forgotten.

Neville stood toward the back of the group, staring out as well. Greed, fear, and jealousy had left his face. In their place was an unfamiliar anticipation of what the future might hold.

"Harris," Neville said suddenly.

"Hm?" Harris turned.

"That woman... what she said about settling us somewhere. Do you think she meant it?"

"I don't know," Harris admitted.

"Then what do you think?"

Harris looked toward the fire again. "I think... maybe she did. What reason would they have to lie to us?"

Neville said nothing. He simply edged closer to the window, trying to get a better look.

The thin woman let out a quiet sigh. "My little brother used to study at UTK."

Everyone turned toward her. She gave a small smile and looked past them at the stadium, as though she could still see the lively young man he had once been.

"He'd just started his first year when everything happened. He used to play ball in that stadium. He even sent us pictures of himself there."

"Is he still alive?" Jerry asked.

Pain crossed her face. She shook her head. "I don't know."

After a moment, she added softly, "But if he is... I'd like to think he'd be over there right now."

No one had anything to say. The room filled with emotions too tangled to name.

Across the campus, the bonfire grew brighter, its flames seeming to fight against the darkness that had swallowed the world.

Its light touched the faces of the people gathered around it and glimmered in the eyes of the survivors six floors up in the Biology Building. To them, it was no more than a distant point of light, yet they all felt as though another world was calling to them.

Jerry stayed by the window until his eyes began to ache. Only then did he rub them and lean back.

"Dad," he whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think they'll still be there tomorrow?" There was worry in his voice.

Harris considered the question. "Probably. And even if they leave, they'll come back."

Jerry smiled. "Then I'll come and look again tomorrow."

On the roof of UTK's main building, Calista stood watching the campus. Leah approached quietly. "Cali, there's movement over there."

Calista followed her sister's gaze. Several faint figures were shifting around a sixth-floor window in the Biology Building.

"Those are the people you told me about?" Calista asked.

Leah nodded. "They haven't gone to sleep."

Calista watched for a while, then smiled faintly and pointed toward the bonfire. "They're looking over here. The longer they watch, the more they'll want to join us."

Leah was quiet for a second. Then understanding dawned, and she looked surprised. "You thought of that already? Is that why we're staying here tonight?"

"Not entirely," Calista admitted, her smile widening. "Mostly it's because we've cleared this place. There's plenty of room, all the infrastructure we need, and it's a lot nicer than sleeping on the street."

The sisters eventually went to rest.

Calista woke again before daybreak, too excited to sleep any longer.

She slipped back onto the roof and stood by the railing, watching the eastern horizon slowly brighten.

The deep blue gave way to a hazy gray-white, then to the faintest gold.

At last, a shaft of sunlight pierced the clouds like a sword and fell across the battered, death-haunted city.

Broken towers, fallen billboards, and abandoned cars emerged into the light, as if the city were stirring from a long sleep and showing the first fragile signs of life.

Leah woke soon after. When she discovered Calista was gone, she guessed where her sister had gone and climbed to the roof again. Sure enough, Calista was watching the sunrise. "Cali, what's on your mind?"

Calista studied the city as sunlight reached across it. Resolve shone in her eyes. "What we need to get done today.

"Maya and Wells are nearly at the middle of their assigned area. Carver's unit has made the fastest progress. They've already cleared all the way to UTK. I expect he'll help the other squads today.

"Mike, Turner, and Wells are getting close to the middle too. They should be able to link up with Maya's people before the day's over."

Leah nodded. "More than twenty Defense Force members have been wounded so far, and five are dead. One was killed by a walker. Raiders killed the other four."

Calista sighed. "When the operation's over, put together the full list. I want the names of everyone who died carved into the memorial."

She faced Leah, her expression steady. "I'm going to make this place a source of hope for survivors across America."

Calista turned and rested her back against the railing, looking toward a dark academic building opposite them. "UTK covers three thousand mu. It already has classrooms, dormitories, laboratories, a library, a stadium, and a complete network of facilities.

"Thirty thousand people once lived in eastern Knoxville. The houses are already here. So are the roads and utilities. All we need to do is clear the place, repair it, and defend it."

She looked out over the city beyond campus. "Give me a month. In one month, I'll have its lights shining again."

Leah studied her. "And after that?"

Calista smiled and gestured down toward the soldiers waking below. "After that?

"After that, we'll see what else is out there. We'll bring in people still struggling to survive, give them homes, food, and work. We'll give them a chance to live the way they did before everything fell apart."

Her voice rang with conviction, as though she were declaring her intentions to the whole world. "Sis, the world is vast, and we've only just begun."