Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead: Typhoon by Chu Wesley

Author:Chu, Wesley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 2019-09-30T16:00:00+00:00

14 THE RETURN

Zhu didn’t know why he was nervous when the wind team returned to the Beacon two days later. He watched the cable transport with growing apprehension as it clanged to a stop on the platform. Maybe it was because he wasn’t sure how he would be received after being considered missing. Maybe it was because Elena pointed out the loose gears rattling as the gas engine wheezed to pull the transport in. Or maybe it was just because he couldn’t quite bring himself to look Elena in the eye every time she pressed further about what had happened to him.

He half expected guards to be waiting after they disembarked from the transport. Dereliction of duty was a serious offense at the Beacon, whether for a truant windrunner, a guard who fell asleep while on watch, or for a garbage man who skipped a day of pickups. The last one was especially egregious. Apparently nothing made a society fall apart faster than improper waste disposal.

Thankfully, none of the guards paid him a second glance as he climbed down to ground level. The few civilians who recognized him waved and greeted him as if nothing had happened. Even other windrunners didn’t realize he had been gone for the better part of two weeks. The Beacon didn’t miss a beat at all.

The one person who did miss him terribly, unfortunately, was Quotamaster Ming. He saw Zhu approaching his tent from far down the block. He stopped the salvage line, stood up, and planted his fists on his hips. “Well,” his voice carried all the way across the field. “If it isn’t the prodigal windrunner. Nice of you to finally join us. Everyone step aside. Let Chen Wenzhu through. We shall see what the young prince has brought us.”

Fifty pairs of eyes tracked them as Zhu, face crimson, cut to the front of the line. Elena and Bo tried to shield him by stepping up to Ming first and presenting their scavenge. At two duffels, it was a handsome haul with several important and necessary components. Ming barely took his glare off Zhu the entire time he was sorting the inventory. The quotamaster was going to make an example of him.

Ming made a show of adding up the points. He shook his head. “Not bad, but not good enough. This doesn’t meet quota for three people, especially considering the supplies allocated to your team, Elena Anderson, and the fact that Windrunner Wenzhu took an extended leave.”

Bo gaped while Elena scowled. She planted her hands on her hips and hissed. “Zhu was injured and needed help. Windmaster Hengyen personally allocated these supplies—”

“Hengyen is only in charge of the wind teams now. I own the quota,” Ming snapped. “Fifty—”

“My team was the one who got this scavenge,” Zhu cut in. “They shouldn’t be punished for their sacrifice, and I shouldn’t be rewarded for their contributions to the Living Revolution.” He pointed at the supplies scattered across Ming’s table. “The points belong to them.”

“Zhu, no!” Elena pleaded.

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