Considering the walkers they had taken down along the way, Jason needed a moment to check whether there were any walkers inside the underground subway station. Although most train stations were above ground, this one ran several kilometers beneath the surface before ending at a bridge, where they would change direction toward Alicia's community.
Jason stopped at the station entrance, looked at the building's sign, then peered into the dark reception hall inside, feeling slightly uneasy.
Although he had luckily escaped the crisis at the hospital entrance, he realized then that the outside world in Texas was far more dangerous than he had imagined. With his current injuries, stiff body, and weakened aim, moving safely through places like this was nearly impossible.
"I definitely can't afford to be arrogant in my condition… or I'll die."
Sighing silently for a while, Jason felt even more anxious to reach Alicia's community, because only there could he find shelter for a few days until his wounds began to heal. Once there, he would think about where Morgan might be and attempt to contact his people.
"Let's go in!"
While Jason was deep in thought, Alicia, who was standing behind him, kept watch over the area around them. Upon hearing Jason's words, they both descended the stairs toward the train station.
This station, like many others, was divided into several special zones: the ticketing area, bathrooms to the left, and some maintenance rooms.
Alicia picked up a dusty wine bottle from the ground, smashed a hole in a door, and threw the bottle forcefully. A sharp "click" followed by the shattering of glass echoed through the silent lobby.
Jason and Alicia waited near the office door, but no sound came from the surroundings. It was as if there weren't any walkers hidden in that place.
Seeing this, Alicia and Jason exchanged glances and slowly pushed open the ticket booth door. They entered the small room and quickly scanned the area.
In normal — and not-so-normal — times, train stations were filled with people from across the country. But since the apocalypse had shut everything down long enough, this place was completely deserted. That might explain why there weren't any walkers inside.
Jason looked at the objects scattered across the floor, knelt down, and picked up an expensive-looking lighter. He glanced at Alicia with a smile and handed it to her to keep.
Who would've thought that dollars, jewelry, or fancy lighters — things that once drove the upper class mad — would now be tossed on the ground like worthless trash? In the apocalypse, none of that mattered anymore.
"Check this out, Alicia."
"Is this what we'll use to see in the dark? I always wanted to try one of these…"
After confirming there was truly no immediate danger inside, Jason opened his backpack and took out several night vision goggles to test if they still worked. He didn't have time to overthink things, but it was better to be prepared.
Although most of these goggles were designed for military helmets, some could be strapped directly to the head. Jason pulled out a set for Alicia, tested it first, and saw that it worked well.
When he saw Alicia adjusting the goggles on her face, Jason gestured to help her put them on properly.
"It's going to be really dark. You have to walk right behind me at all times," Jason said as he packed the rest of the gear into the backpack.
Alicia looked at him and nodded. "Don't worry, I'll stay right behind you."
Hearing her response, Jason nodded and put on his own night vision goggles. He knew that in the dark, the walkers couldn't see them—even if the faint light from the goggles might give them away a little. As long as they moved carefully, it wouldn't be a problem.
Inside the backpack was a sawed-off shotgun, but it wasn't ideal to use. Even in a dangerous situation, it severely limited his mobility.
Next to the shotgun were two egg-shaped objects. Without needing to examine them further, Jason knew they were grenades. He'd originally had more, but had used most of them during the confrontation with the Vultures at the hospital.
Then he picked up a few long bottles filled with liquid: gasoline. The soldiers had prepared them to defend the military base he had separated from. After all, incendiary bombs were effective for taking out large groups of walkers.
Finally, he pulled a small iron box from the bottom of the backpack. He opened it carefully, and inside were morphine injections along with their needles.
He took one out. Jason knew he had to be ready for anything. One of those could allow him to ignore the pain for a while and move more freely—maybe just enough to get out of serious trouble.
After packing almost everything back up, Jason took a pair of long knives and strapped them to his waist, in case he needed to silently eliminate walkers. When he looked at Alicia, who was putting on a coat, he didn't hand her any knives, since she carried the barrel of a machine gun—more than enough to defend herself.
With the distant sounds coming from outside the station, Jason and Alicia slowly walked to the right. After a brief inspection, they began their descent.
They then picked up the items they had left on the ground to move more efficiently. Holding their weapons firmly, they started advancing along the tracks.
Little by little, their footsteps grew quieter. They walked calmly through the dark, damp tunnel. Everything seemed fine. But after advancing a few hundred meters, a loud noise made them suddenly freeze.
"Get down!"
Roooarrr!!!
The deafening roar echoed from outside. Suddenly, many figures behind them—beyond the entrance—began to run like they had lost their minds.
Jason and Alicia crouched in a corner, feeling the rush of figures dashing and shrieking all around them. Unsure what else to do, they simply waited for things to calm down.
Jason pulled Alicia close and whispered, "They can't see us… they're different."
When he looked up, he observed the walkers in the darkness. They weren't like the slow dead or the red-eyed runners. These looked much more human, but their behavior was completely abnormal.
Their bodies were dark, their muscles exposed, and Jason would swear these infected were a new variant—hard to identify. But just when he thought he had never encountered creatures like these, he remembered the walker he had taken down at the military camp.
Recognizing that familiar sight, Jason furrowed his brow, lowered his gaze, and prepared to move the moment he had the chance. Holding Alicia's cold hand, he realized they were in serious trouble.
Only then did a question arise in Alicia's mind: Would they survive?