No one would dismiss these words, for they were true. This man, who looked like a fallen angel from the heavens, stood outside the train car where Rick and the others were held.
It could be said that everyone—whether from the central base or from Atlanta—was deeply surprised. Even Elen, standing in the shadows, looked at the man outside. The person she had heard about so many times had finally revealed his real appearance.
But there was another group of people who looked at him in silence, filled with doubt. Is this person Jason? The man who leads the entire organization?
When Abraham and the others heard Jason's name, they etched his face into their memory, determined to always recognize their leader from now on, simply standing quietly to the side.
After all, no one knew the situation outside, and it was better to wait silently and see what plans would unfold.
No matter what the others thought, Rick was the happiest man at that moment. He was the one who felt the most guilt—not only because Lori was involved in this, but also because a child, who should never have been caught up in such a situation, was here too.
Rick eagerly stepped forward and gave Jason a hug, his hand patting Jason's back as if searching for words, unable to express the storm of emotions inside him.
Lori quietly let out a sigh of relief. If her husband was the happiest man alive right now, then she was even happier. It could be said that the reason why everyone here had been captured was more or less tied to her.
Rick pushed aside his chaotic thoughts and finally regained his composure. Then, remembering their current situation, he asked:
"How did you come back so soon? Didn't you say it would take at least a year?"
Greeting Shane and scanning the people inside the car, Jason didn't answer the question. This wasn't the time to talk about such things.
"Let's not talk about that for now. What I'll tell you next is what's important."
When everyone heard this, no one could resist leaning closer. They understood Jason must have prepared a way to get them out of here, so no one interrupted. They waited in silence for his words.
"Right now, both the outside and part of the inside are surrounded by my people. To maintain control of the situation, you must stay here temporarily. This time, I came with all the people I gathered in Washington. They don't know you, so the best way you can help is by staying put for now."
"We'll take care of eliminating everyone else. Don't worry about the gunfire. Above all, I don't want you wandering out of this place—otherwise, it'll be easy to accidentally hurt allies. Do you understand?"
There wasn't a single fool here. Everyone nodded in understanding. Jason nodded back, then handed his M4 to Rick, along with two pistols and a few knives.
"None of you need to fight, but if someone breaks in, you'd better be prepared."
Closing the door to the car, Jason and the others advanced through the dark area, reaching the main entrance in no time.
After fiddling with the lock for a while, the door slowly creaked open. Looking into the surrounding darkness, no one really knew when the walkers his men were gathering would arrive.
But there was no rush. Meanwhile, in the train car where Rick and the others stayed, many began asking questions about Jason. Rick, in a much better mood now, saw how interested they were and simply introduced him in detail.
Jason is an incredible man!
After Rick's detailed explanation, that single thought surfaced in everyone's mind—except one, whose expression was not so good.
That person was Eugene. Since hearing Morgan's words at that house the last time, he had been thinking about the questions they should be asking regarding their situation.
Just now, the leader of that mysterious organization had brought a group of survivors from Washington. This statement might have seemed unimportant to the others, but to Eugene's ears, it was worth gold. He couldn't stop wondering: Why would all these people abandon their lives in Washington to come to Atlanta?
But the others weren't paying attention to such subtle details. They were absorbed in listening to the stories about Rick told by those they had met only a few days ago.
And in the group, there was another person lost in thought—Lori. Her reckless actions the last time had caused someone's death, but now her mind was pushing her to act impulsively once again.
Considering everything that had happened at the prison in recent months—even though people had been dying every day—no one had faced this kind of problem when leaving the base. That fact alone made her feel guilty.
She silently looked at her husband, who was chatting with Elen and the others. Quietly, Lori moved toward the door. Outside, there was a deathly silence that felt unusually peaceful—quieter than before. But now, faint whispers could be heard.
Peering through the crack of the door, her view was limited, but under the now-uncovered moonlight, she could see a bit farther.
When Lori realized she could see most of the courtyard, she didn't move closer. Instead, she carefully examined her surroundings.
What she believed she needed to do was consider a way out. Rick, her husband, was comforted by Jason's words, but she wasn't. If something happened, they needed another escape route.
After secretly observing the outside for a while, she quietly stepped back from the door. Her husband was still talking with the others, and no one noticed her movements.
...
Terminal Entrance.
The door was open at that moment, and a large group of figures gradually emerged from the darkness. They staggered from side to side as if drunk.
But anyone who came closer would realize this group carried the stench of blood and rot—it didn't take a genius to recognize they were walkers.
T-dog and Jesus's group had spent minutes drawing in walkers, and after a while, they had gathered hundreds. But this had taken time.
Meanwhile, Jason and George had used that time to scout around the terminal and sneak inside.
The place was deserted, and everything suggested the people here were asleep. Jason regretted his decision to lure in the walkers.
However, there was still a faint light shining through the cracks of doors leading into individual rooms. For that reason, Jason and George didn't approach the living quarters.
It was clear this place had once been the abandoned station's worksite, with department signs still on many of the doors. During this time, they encountered no one along the way, and soon the two reached a room marked as a workshop.
The door before them was a set of double doors, which suggested the interior space was quite large. Standing there, they could already smell a faint trace of blood.
This should be the workshop, right? Jason thought to himself.
But George, who didn't know anything, whispered:
"Boss, it smells like blood here—along with disinfectant."
"Well, let's go in and take a look." Jason gently pushed the door open.
The door swung open without making a sound, likely from constant use. The moment it opened, a strong stench of blood filled the room.
"What is this? The smell of raw meat?"
"Umm..."
As the two stepped inside, George flicked on the flashlight.
The scene that unfolded before their eyes made George's pupils contract. He muttered in disbelief:
"I can't believe it..."