The Walking Dead: Starting as a Cowboy

The next day, it was broad daylight.

Hershel was driving a beat-up pickup truck, with a smartly dressed Maggie in the passenger seat, holding Otis's shotgun.

Hershel was in a good mood, with the corners of her mouth constantly turned up.

Maggie pursed her lips, looked at the scenery along the way, and frowned in confusion: "Father, have the roads here been cleared?"

They had already approached the vicinity of Black Pine Valley. The abandoned vehicles on the road had long been pushed far away by heavy trucks, and the zombies had been cleared away and buried or burned.

The roads looked clean and tidy.

Hershel smiled, looked around, nodded, and said, "Black Pine Valley isn't far ahead. Caesar and the others might clean it up when they leave Black Pine Valley."

Maggie nodded.

Blackpine Valley seems to be a great place. Glenn should be living well under Caesar's leadership.

Maggie couldn't help but think about it, and at the same time, she compared it to the situation on the farm.

The farm has good drinking water and food, but there are not many people and a lack of social interaction.

She spends her days with her elderly father and Beth and the others, and because of the walkers outside, she hardly ever goes out.

This was very boring for her.

So Maggie said casually, "There must be a lot of people in Black Pine Valley, unlike the farm where it's boring."

Herschel's smile gradually faded, and he glanced at Maggie.

There was no blame in his eyes, only apology.

……

When Hershel and his companion arrived at Blackpine Valley, Mor didn't make things difficult for them and simply waved his hand dismissively.

"Open the door!"

After a day of simple repairs, all the abandoned vehicles at the entrance to the Buffalo Pass were removed and replaced by two sturdy heavy trucks.

Two heavy trucks stood back to back in the middle of the pass, with only their bodies visible and their front ends hidden behind rocks on either side.

The truck bed was filled with thick sandbags to ensure that bullets would not easily destroy the bed.

The two heavy trucks opened like two large doors, and Hershel drove his pickup truck inside.

Herschel nodded to Mohr in greeting, "Hello."

"Hey!" Moore turned his head, saw Maggie and perked up, his eyes lighting up as he lifted his sunglasses. "Pretty girl."

Without waiting for Maggie's reply, Hershel, his face dark, slammed the car window shut, stepped aside to block Maggie's view, and started the car.

An old red pickup truck sped past, kicking up a little dust.

Moll stared blankly at the departing pickup truck for a couple of seconds, then muttered a complaint.

"Fuck, I left before I could say anything."

"Toby, am I not attractive to women?"

"I asked casually," Moore asked.

"Uh..." Toby, one of Moore's confidants standing to the side, carefully considered his words, "Boss, you have a very distinctive look, but most women probably wouldn't appreciate it."

Moore frowned. "I'm... good-looking, but women... don't appreciate it... You're just saying I'm ugly, aren't you?!"

Moore glared at him, slumped in his recliner, and kicked him.

Toby chuckled and dodged away repeatedly.

Hershel drove along the dirt road, which branched off in several directions, but only one of the dirt roads was wider and more well-maintained than the others combined, and it was free of weeds.

Toby explained the route when they were going through the door.

Go straight, along the widest and best road.

"Father, the road in this valley is better than the road we have at home." Maggie rested her hand on the car window and glanced at the dirt road.

Herschel did not refute: "It seems Caesar values ​​infrastructure very much."

"The mobile gate at the pass, the clearing of the outer driveway, and the internal passageways..."

Maggie remarked with a sigh, "With good infrastructure, people live well, and with so many people in the valley, they can throw parties and all that."

Hershey choked immediately.

Hershel immediately rejected Maggie's suggestion to have a small party on the farm to have some fun.

The concert attracted sick people, and the farm didn't have much diesel to generate electricity, nor much alcohol.

This little party might just consume most of the farm's inventory.

Besides, having a party in the apocalypse? That just doesn't sound right.

Hershel didn't remain silent for long before his eyes suddenly lit up, and his loose skin relaxed.

Maggie was also stunned.

A black line appeared in my field of vision, and gradually, the black line became more distinct.

It was a cluster of wooden houses, each with a consistent architectural style, and they stood side by side.

Surrounding the wooden house were several separate pastures where many cattle and sheep could be seen grazing and mooing. I glanced at the passing pickup truck.

Beside the herd of cattle and sheep were cowboys on horseback, dressed in typical cowboy attire, with guns on their bodies and in their saddlebags. Their eyes were sharp, and they didn't look like they were to be trifled with.

Hershel and the cowboys nodded in acknowledgment, said nothing, and drove straight inside.

The roads in the town have been paved with large stones, which has improved grip and reduced the muddy feeling of the soil.

There were many pedestrians on the road, who made way for Hershel while curiously eyeing the pickup truck.

The pickup truck quickly passed through the residential area and arrived at the core area.

Once inside the core area, armored vehicles led the pickup trucks all the way to the council chamber.

The two got out of the car, and Hershel was about to ask the person driving the armored vehicle what would happen to his car.

They saw the armored vehicle and quickly left.

Hershel opened his mouth.

Just then, a voice reached Herschel's ears, "Hello, Mr. Herschel, please come this way."

Hershel turned to look.

She was a blonde beauty dressed in business attire with her hair up, exuding a blend of maturity and youthful innocence.

Amy smiled and extended her hand to Maggie: "I'm Amy, Mr. Caesar's secretary and girlfriend."

Maggie shook hands. "Hello, my name is Maggie, and this is my dad, Hershel."

"The boss wants you to go directly to his office, and then you can talk to Dr. Jenner about the vaccine and the zombie virus."

"Then you will teach our people how to plant."

Amy thoughtfully explained their tasks for the day.

Hershel perked up at the mention of vaccines, pulled Maggie aside, and leaned forward to ask, "Excuse me, who is this Dr. Jenner?"

"Dr. Jenner is a researcher at the CDC. In the early days of the apocalypse, he was working on a vaccine at the CDC. There's still no sign of a vaccine, so please don't have too high hopes."

Amy gave Hershel a heads-up, having seen some of her close relatives and friends turn into zombies.

People get excited at the mere mention of vaccines, but even the most powerful vaccine can't bring the dead back to life.

Hershel selectively ignored the latter part of the sentence and asked to himself, "Then we can go find Caesar."

"By the way, what should I do with my car?"

"Give me the keys." Amy held out her hand. "I'll have someone drive them directly to the parking lot for you, and you can pick them up when you leave."