This time, Jason specifically ordered Henry to come along. He also had Jim drive one of the vehicles, Rick replace Glenn, and Shane join the group.
Jason, Henry, Rick, Jim, Shane — five of them — plus Hershel, took two vehicles and once again entered the nearby town.
Having learned from their previous trip, Jason headed straight for the supermarket, quickly loading up anything drinkable into the cars.
"Hey, hey, hey, come look at this!" Rick suddenly shouted from outside, waving his arm frantically to get Jason's attention.
Jason jogged over. Rick pointed to the middle of the road, his eyes wide."I remember we left a body here last time. Now it's gone. Look — drag marks, everywhere!"
Jason tilted his head, not taking it too seriously at first. But as he looked closer, his expression darkened.The drag marks were obvious, smeared with blood and mud — signs of something violent.
"Maybe... it was their companions?" Jason guessed."Otherwise, who would bother dragging a dead body?"
Following the marks, they saw the trail led eastward, deeper into the town.
Just as Jason was about to suggest investigating, a sudden scream cut through the air.
"Ahhh!"
"Help!"
Jim's terrified voice echoed from inside the supermarket.
Shane was the first to react, sprinting inside. Jason and the others rushed after him.
Inside, they found Jim wrestling on the ground with a wild, filthy figure — a man so covered in hair, grime, and filth he barely looked human.
"What the hell is that? A gorilla?" Jason blurted out in shock as he ran up.
Jim was about to get bitten. Without hesitating, Jason dashed forward and yanked the two men apart.
As the group closed in, they realized — horrifyingly — that the creature was indeed human.A man, but one so wild and dirty he looked like an animal.
"Eating human flesh... is delicious..."The man mumbled the words, slurring them together.
The sound of it sent chills down everyone's spines.
Jason instinctively glanced at the bloody drag marks again, then looked back at the deranged man, swallowing hard."Guys... I think this freak might've eaten that body."
Rick staggered back a few steps, his face pale.He couldn't even begin to process it.
"This guy's a lunatic," Shane muttered, sizing the man up.The man stank. His clothes were nothing but rags, his hands were black with filth, and his eyes gleamed with a feral light.
"He is," Hershel said gravely, finally speaking up."I know him."
Everyone turned toward Hershel.
"He used to live here. Always had... issues. Was bullied a lot when he was younger. When the world fell apart, he somehow survived — but started eating human flesh. Maybe it was hunger. Maybe it was... something else."
There was a heavy silence.It was a cruel twist of fate: the people who had tormented him when he was alive had become his food after death.
"What do we do?" Henry asked awkwardly."We can't bring this psycho back with us."
Jason shook his head immediately."No way. Taking him back would be like bringing a live grenade into camp."
He turned away from the madman."Forget about him. Let's focus on getting what we need."
There really wasn't anything else they could do. Some people were beyond saving.
The group turned back toward the vehicles, preparing to leave.
But they let their guard down for just a second.
"I'm gonna eat you!"The lunatic shrieked and lunged forward again — straight for Jim.
With terrifying speed, he knocked Jim off his feet once more.