These words moved everyone present deeply, and Louis also seemed somewhat swayed.
"Dr. Gale is right," Rick immediately followed up with persuasion. "Besides, haven't you always wanted to see Shane?"
"I'll take you to find him; I believe he misses you very much too. I'm a police officer, and I promise you that I will keep you safe. Will you come with us?"
Louis looked like he wanted to agree immediately, but he still hesitated. "But I'm still too weak right now; I might hold you back..."
"Don't think like that, Louis!"
This time it was Morgan, who had been silent, who spoke up. He looked at Louis with an incredibly sincere gaze.
"Have you forgotten? When we first met, you saved Jenny. You kept our family from being torn apart."
Jenny nodded vigorously from the side, and Dr. Gale added, "And Paul and Karina. If it weren't for you, the tragedy that day might have already happened."
"And Duane too!"
Morgan continued, "He was in very bad shape originally, but after seeing you, his condition improved a lot the next day! Every time we see you, it's like seeing hope!"
In fact, at first, Morgan just wanted to comfort this somewhat sensitive child, but as he spoke, even he started to believe it.
It seemed that in some mysterious way, every appearance of this child truly brought a turning point.
Rick hadn't known Louis had saved so many people before; hearing it now, it made perfect sense to him. He chimed in, "Exactly! Do you remember? When I woke up, you were the first one to bring me news of Shane!"
"Louis, I think even if you do nothing, your very presence brings us luck."
"Yeah! You're the savior sent by God!" Duane nodded excitedly beside them, clearly taking that previous dream as truth.
Under the group's collective persuasion, Louis finally lifted his head "bashfully," his face showing a trace of shyness and the joy of being recognized as he gave a soft nod.
"Alright then. I'll go to Atlanta with you!"
Hearing Louis finally nod, Duane couldn't help but let out an excited cheer.
The adults nearby also shared a smile. Although the road ahead was uncertain, and whether Atlanta was a land of hope or another hell remained to be seen, at this moment, a long-lost confidence and hope ignited in everyone's hearts.
Once the decision to depart was made, the team immediately sprang into action.
Although Dr. Gale firmly declined the invitation to join them, she agreed to temporarily leave the hospital and accompany them to the town's police station at Rick's repeated request.
There was a more plentiful supply of weapons and ammunition there, as well as a long-awaited hot shower.
Inside the police station, the warm water washed away the fatigue and filth of the past few days, making everyone feel reborn. They changed into clean clothes and scavenged the station's armory clean of weapons and ammunition.
Afterward, Rick insisted on driving Dr. Gale back to the hospital and gave her a portion of the weapons and ammunition for self-defense.
The two said a solemn farewell at the hospital entrance, both knowing that this parting might be forever.
Returning to the police station, Morgan had used the time to collect gasoline from several abandoned cars nearby, filling their vehicle's tank to the brim.
With everything ready, the group officially set out on their journey to Atlanta.
The vehicle traveled along a deserted highway. Rick sat in the driver's seat, constantly trying to call out on the car's radio, hoping to contact other survivors.
"Calling on the emergency channel, we are heading toward Atlanta along Highway 85, please respond if you receive this..."
Unfortunately, there was only a constant static of white noise on the radio, with no response whatsoever.
Louis sat in the back listening.
He wasn't disappointed, because he knew that in the plot, on the other side of that static, people in a survivor camp had already heard their voices.
It was only due to signal issues that they hadn't received a response.
And those people were exactly the family and his friend Shane that Rick was pining for... Meanwhile, at a mountain camp outside of Atlanta.
Shane regretfully put down the communicator in his hand.
"He's gone." He shook his head at the people gathered around him.
The others in the camp were pleasantly surprised that there were still living survivors, but they were also filled with worry.
"We should warn them not to enter the city," a beautiful woman with long, dark curly hair said anxiously. "I've been saying this for a week!"
Her name was Lori, the very wife Rick had been searching for.
At this moment, she had no idea that the faint call signal just now came from the husband she thought was dead; she was simply worried for this group of unknown survivors.
The young blonde woman beside her, Amy, also agreed with her suggestion. "Those survivors surely don't know the city is full of Walkers now."
However, Shane remained unmoved.
He even stopped Lori's dangerous idea of driving into the city alone to warn the other survivors.
Though it might be cruel, he was unwilling to let someone he cared about take risks for unknown strangers.
Moreover, this person was the widow of his best friend, the woman he now deeply loved and was determined to protect... On the other side, Louis and his group's journey also ran into trouble.
Halfway through the drive, the gasoline was almost exhausted.
Although they had tried their best to collect as much as possible before leaving, this bit of fuel was still just a drop in the bucket for the long journey.
They could only park the car next to a detached farmhouse by the roadside, wanting to go inside to see if they could find some supplies or help.
"You guys wait for me in the car."
Rick gave the instruction and stepped forward alone, cautiously peering through the window to investigate the situation inside the house.
However, the sight inside made his heart sink.
There were no living people inside, only an elderly couple who had been dead for a long time. Their bodies had already decayed, lying quietly on the bed, surrounded by buzzing insects.
And on the wall behind them, written in long-dried blood, was a line of shocking words:
"God forgive us?"
Rick was struck by this tragic scene. He silently backed away, leaned against the wall, and let out a deep sigh.
He was glad he hadn't let the others come in rashly; such a scene was not suitable for children to see.
Seeing that Rick's expression was off, the people in the car got out and approached.
"Rick, are you okay?" Morgan asked with concern.
"I'm fine." Rick shook his head and gave a brief description of the situation inside the house.
After hearing it, Jenny couldn't help but sigh, "Oh, God..."
"It looks like for the next part of the road, we might have to walk." Rick looked at the endless highway in the distance, his tone heavy.
However, Louis pointed to the other side of the farmhouse and spoke up, "Maybe we have another option?"
Rick looked in the direction he was pointing with confusion, only to see a magnificent brown horse leisurely grazing in the farmhouse's backyard!
His eyes lit up instantly!
"Ha! Kid!"
Rick walked over happily, slapped Louis on the shoulder with force, and couldn't help but tease, "It seems someone has brought us good luck once again!"
"You really are a lucky one, Louis."