"What about the others at the nursing home? Is it just the three of you?" Calista pressed.
"We used to have a lot of people! After the apocalypse started, the nursing home doctor abandoned the place. Only Felipe and I stayed, along with a group of young people who had come to visit the elderly," Guillermo said, looking dazed.
"Yesterday, a group of raiders suddenly came from Atlanta. They said they were working for some Governor, and they took everyone else… they…"
Calista's heart suddenly sank.
The Governor had already appeared this early?
Wasn't his main territory supposed to be around Woodbury?
How had his influence already spread to the outskirts of Atlanta?
Could it be that even in the early days of the apocalypse, the Governor's men had already been raiding other survivor camps around Atlanta?
Maybe they just never crossed paths with Rick's group, which was why it was never mentioned in the storyline.
Still, hearing this confirmed it—the Governor was exactly the same Governor she knew. The cruelty in his bones hadn't changed at all.
Leah glanced at Calista, seeming unsure whether they should get involved.
Calista didn't hesitate for even a second.
They had to save them.
Guillermo and the other two had combat ability and kind hearts—rare qualities in the apocalypse. They had to be recruited into Rock Fortress.
Rock Fortress needed people.
"Can you still walk?" Calista asked, keeping her voice as calm as possible.
"We can't stay here long. The gunfire will attract more walkers and other trouble. Hand over your weapons and come with us—or find somewhere to hide on your own."
Find somewhere?
The three of them had just escaped and had no idea where they were going. Where could they possibly hide?
If they stayed here, death was certain.
Calista's group had overwhelming firepower, and everyone looked capable. They didn't seem cruel or tyrannical like raiders.
The three of them didn't hesitate at all.
Guillermo stood up and voluntarily collected the weapons from the corpses on the ground, handing them over along with the pistol he had on him.
"What about theirs?" Leah gestured toward Felipe and Miguel with her chin.
"That's the only gun we have. The rest were taken by that group!" Felipe hurriedly explained, turning out the pockets of both himself and Miguel.
They were indeed completely empty.
Leah nodded and motioned for them to get into the pickup.
As Miguel opened the back door, Merle immediately protested.
"Don't you know first come, first served? New guys ride in the truck bed! There's no room in here!"
The young man quickly tried to close the door.
"S-sorry, we'll go to the back!"
Calista laughed in disbelief. This Merle Dixon was actually acting like he was the one in charge.
"You two—get in the truck. Sit right next to him," Calista said, glaring at Merle.
"Hey! That's not fair! When I first joined, I had to ride in the truck bed!"
Calista shot him a sharp glare.
"Because you're a foul-mouthed asshole. Now sit down and behave."
In the end, because of the limited space, Miguel still ended up sitting in the truck bed. Guillermo joined him there, giving up the back seat for Felipe, whose butt still hadn't fully healed from the arrow Daryl had shot into him.
The vehicles started moving again.
Dr. Jenner held the destroyed blood analyzer in his arms, staring blankly ahead as he muttered to himself over and over.
"It's over… only part of the data was exported… the key activity tests are completely gone…"
Calista pinched the bridge of her nose, her knuckles turning white with tension.
After a moment, she suddenly looked up.
"Jenner, you're a researcher at the Atlanta CDC. You should be familiar with the nearby hospitals, right?"
Dr. Jenner snapped out of his daze.
"Yes, I'm a local!"
"If that blood analyzer is critical, then we just need to find another one. Among the hospitals in Atlanta, where are we most likely to find a similar device that still works?"
Dr. Jenner lifted his head, hope rekindling in his eyes.
"Right! Right! We can find another one!"
He quickly sorted through the possibilities in his mind.
"Grady Memorial Hospital is one of the largest hospitals in downtown Atlanta, and it's very well equipped.
But the number of walkers there is probably terrifying, and it's likely been looted many times already. The risk is too high."
Dr. Jenner paused, then proposed another idea.
"Maybe we should consider private research institutes or high-end medical centers.
They're less conspicuous, so they might not have been among the first places looted when the apocalypse began."
After Calista nodded for him to continue, he added:
"I know of a biomedical research center in the northern suburbs that conducts cutting-edge research.
They should definitely have the advanced equipment we need—but it's a bit far from our current location."
"Distance isn't a big problem. We can find a place to rest for a few days."
Calista used the vehicle radio to address the others.
"We'll stay near Atlanta for a few days to search for supplies.
Dr. Jenner, and the new members who just joined—does anyone have suggestions? Ideally somewhere walkers can't easily swarm."
Felipe leaned toward the window, carefully studying the streets outside.
"A few blocks east, there's a cluster of small manufacturing plants. Some of the factory walls are still intact, and the buildings are sturdy with only a few entrances."
Guillermo nodded in agreement.
"Yeah! That area isn't a commercial center. There weren't many people there when the outbreak started, so the walker density should be lower."
"We'll go there," Calista decided immediately.
Under Felipe and Guillermo's guidance, the convoy carefully avoided main roads and areas crowded with walkers, eventually reaching the warehouse district.
They chose a single-story metalworking factory.
Its rolling shutter door was rusty, but once lowered it still provided solid protection.
The side employee entrance was a heavy fire door, and the windows were small, high up, and fitted with security bars.
Inside, the factory floor was wide and open—perfect for defense and observation.
In the corners were abandoned workbenches and material racks that could be used to build simple barricades.
The team quickly cleared out the few walkers inside, reinforced the entrances, and established rotating guard posts.
Merle and Guillermo's group were separated.
At first they had been placed in the same room.
But Merle, thinking himself a "senior member" because he had joined a day earlier, kept running his mouth at them until he finally pushed Guillermo too far.
The two nearly started a fight.
As a result, Merle earned himself a private room—
and lost his dinner that night.
After a short rest and meal, Calista and Leah brought Dr. Jenner to speak with Guillermo and the others.
Calista asked everyone to think of places that might have medical equipment.
Felipe thought for a moment.
"Near Emory University Hospital there are several affiliated research institutes and specialist clinics. They might not be huge, but the equipment should still be good.
And the buildings in that area are packed close together—we might be able to find relatively safe routes."
"And there's also the Governor's Park Private Medical Center," Miguel added.
"It mainly serves wealthy clients, so the equipment is the newest and best. But the security there used to be very strict—I don't know what it's like now."
The Grady Memorial Hospital Jenner mentioned earlier sounded like a walker nest.
The biomedical research center was too far away, which meant too many variables. That could wait.
The area around Emory University and the Governor's Park Private Medical Center sounded like better compromises.
"We need more precise intel," Leah concluded.
"Tomorrow morning, Mike and Wells will go scout around Emory University Hospital, with Felipe acting as guide. See if there's anything worth scavenging."
"Carver and Bossie will take Miguel to check out the area around the Governor's Park Private Medical Center."
She turned to Dr. Jenner.
"Based on what they find, we'll decide which location is more likely to have the equipment we need."
Dr. Jenner nodded vigorously, urgency burning in his eyes.
"As long as we can find one, I'm sure I can get it working!"
Calista looked around at everyone.
"Then we'll rest here for a few days. Once we secure the equipment, we head back to Rock Fortress."