It's true that Jason tends to think things through, but when he acts in critical moments, his kind side can sometimes make him take slightly irrational decisions. Right now, killing the walkers might have been more complicated, but it would've been less troublesome than the situation they were in now.
It was also true that they had saved a lot of ammunition, and if the door hadn't failed, Jason's decision would have been perfect in terms of the team's safety. But well, things didn't always turn out the way Jason wanted.
The corridor door that connected the two buildings opened again, and some walkers still standing in the doorway continued moving forward. But before they could even step out, a sharp dagger was driven into their heads.
Jason took the initiative again and walked into the corridor, while the rest of the group kept watching the hallway, which still had a large number of walkers at the moment — though not as many as a few minutes earlier. Because of that, Jason eliminated them very quickly.
As Jason advanced, he noticed that something was off with some members of the group. "I can understand they're inexperienced," he thought, "but that won't help them most of the time. Even elite soldiers die at the hands of infected variants stronger than a simple walker."
Jason didn't pay much attention to these things, and most of the people who had come with him to this part of the country knew him well. But some of the less experienced women hesitated a lot in what they were doing.
When Jason reached the other end of the corridor, he discovered that the door was locked, and he had no intention of wasting time. He shattered the glass with a few shots, and after there was no glass left, he reached in and opened the door.
The rest of the way became much calmer. No one knew whether it was because most of the walkers had fallen from the corridor, but there weren't many more enemies in the building as soon as they entered.
After walking a few steps, he stopped in an open hallway and noticed the floor was very messy. Judging by the dust, no one had been there for a long time.
In other words, there weren't any walkers to worry about here either. To make sure, Jason kept striking a metal railing with his knife, and the hallway instantly filled with harsh metallic clangs.
However, two minutes passed, and the hallways on both sides remained the same — no movement at all.
Looking at the escape route sign on the wall, the group moved toward the staircase without hesitation.
Soon, they reached the tenth floor. Jason, leading the group, examined the stairwell door carefully. The corridor was also very quiet, and the area was short — only about a dozen meters — with the other side sealed off by a wall.
The stairwell opening was diagonally opposite two large double doors.
Creak.
Because the hallway door hadn't been used in a long time, it creaked loudly when opened, followed by a strong stench faintly perceived even through the group's masks.
Some people who hadn't properly fitted their masks covered their noses, but those wearing full suits didn't move, silently peering into the room.
"It's the smell of old corpses…"
Daryl muttered and cautiously walked toward the door on the other side of the hall.
It turned out the glass on the door was frosted, so he couldn't see what was on the other side at all. That made him hesitate a little, and he turned to look at Jason, who was approaching.
Jason understood what was happening, so with a signal, he slowly approached the glass and listened for any sounds inside while raising his hand to keep everyone still. Could a walker really be giving off that awful smell?
Doubtful, yet knowing they had to investigate the place thoroughly, Jason opened the door — but it was dark inside. However, this didn't hinder Jason's vision, since his mask allowed him to see in the dark without using flashlights. That was also why most of them had laser sights on their weapons.
When he looked across, everyone realized it was a corridor. And that smell — barely noticeable at first — became much stronger, forcing them to breathe occasionally through their mouths.
The rest of the group also approached and peeked through the gap in the door. They saw their captain motion for them to enter and take a look together.
Daryl followed close behind. That strong odor made it clear that somewhere in that hallway was the source of the stench.
Jason didn't dare waste time, so he entered and walked slowly down the corridor, which was no more than ten meters long.
Under the sharp eyes of Daryl and Jason, they both noticed a slightly open door with a sign that read:
Cafeteria.
It seemed they had found the place they were looking for, but what was strange — and obvious to everyone without being pointed out — was that there didn't appear to be any survivors. Yet, that suffocating smell still lingered heavily in the air.
The cafeteria was as eerily silent as they had expected, and it was obvious that the strong odor came from within. Though Jason had long since given up hope of finding survivors, he moved slowly and silently, crouching slightly to peek inside.
The cafeteria area was large — it seemed to occupy the entire floor — and the situation inside could be clearly seen through the sunlight filtering in through the windows. The cafeteria wasn't small, but this was just one section. There were also two doors on one side labeled "Area 2-B" and "Area 3-C," which were likely the other two dining halls.
As for the source of the rotting flesh smell — there were many corpses lying on the floor not far from the entrance.
Jason immediately realized they were corpses — numerous bodies with their stomachs torn open as if they'd been eaten by animals.
But Jason knew it wasn't wild animals. All these people had been attacked and killed by walkers. Then the question arose — how had they died? Why had more than twenty people died in the same place without a single survivor?
After confirming the interior, Jason signaled to everyone who still stood motionless, staring at the horrific scene. There were many different reactions, which made him think not everyone was used to witnessing such gruesome sights.
Unsatisfied, Jason stepped through the door and entered Area 2-B.
"Everything's so quiet…" After checking for sound on the other side, he made a few noises to see if any walkers were inside.
But the interior seemed very calm. Once he gave the order, Jason entered and saw a long corridor with small private rooms along one side. After carefully walking up to the outermost door, he stopped at one. When he went in, he discovered lots of things — various entertainments that seemed meant for the workers here.
"Must've been fun working here if all this stuff was for everyone — though I take that back if it was only for certain people."
Daryl picked up a handful of fine silverware from the table and threw it to the ground in disgust. The rest of the group also entered, and a team began searching several rooms inside.
Glenn reached the door of the innermost private room and knocked on the closed door. This time, the distinct sound of a walker came from within.
Boom!
Forcing the door open violently, Glenn used great strength to throw the walker just behind it to the ground. The moment the door fully opened, Glenn's eyes froze — then filled with anger — and he swung his knife straight down, killing the walker. The undead, still struggling to get up from the floor, went still.
Amy and Andrea, standing behind him, immediately saw what was inside and exclaimed, "Oh God."
Both Amy and Andrea stepped back, moving away from the room.
Glenn stared at the scene before him, struggling to process it. Inside the room was a young woman with long hair, dead, with bite marks on her neck and chest. Her killer — an old walker who appeared to have been a janitor — had likely turned long ago.
"What the hell, so dramatic," Daryl muttered, turning his head toward Amy and Andrea.
He walked into the room, went over to a small table, grabbed a few cigarette packs still in good condition, and began inspecting the male corpse on the floor.
"He wasn't starving…" Daryl said, glancing at the girl who seemed to have died recently.
"This worker was stabbed — the knife's still on his waist. I can only guess the girl tried to take him down and failed."
"Maybe she was hungry and looking for food…" Abraham looked at the girl and didn't say much else.
"Bad luck," he muttered. "Looks like she was consumed by fear."