"This is Rock Fortress, Calista speaking. Rick, go ahead." Calista's voice traveled through the radio waves to the prison far away in Griffin, Georgia.
After a brief hiss of static, Rick's voice came through. "Calista, it's good to hear your voice! Things over here… they're going smoothly."
Hearing Rick's opening, Calista could almost picture him standing in one of the guard offices at the prison, perhaps with Hershel or Dale right beside him.
"Good to hear," Calista replied with a faint smile. "We're preparing for winter on our end. How are things progressing over there?"
"Pretty well." Rick's tone relaxed a little as he began explaining in detail. "Everyone's gathered in Cell Block C now. We've fixed our living area there, and it's much safer than when we were scattered through different cells.
"We've completely cleared out Cell Block B. Walkers, debris, everything. There's a lot more space now.
"Next, we're planning to push into Cell Block A. It'll be riskier, but if we can clear it out completely, our activity space and defensive depth will both improve a lot."
He paused, obvious relief in his voice. "Axel, Oscar, and that big guy we left behind before have all been working hard. They've fully integrated now. They're reliable new strength for us."
Calista listened quietly, updating her understanding of the prison community in her mind.
Clearing the prison blocks, absorbing the inmates who had already been there, and gradually taking in other survivors after spring arrived. This was the standard path Rick's group had followed to grow stronger in the original storyline.
Rick continued, this time with clear approval in his voice. "And Maggie, Andrea, Jacqui, especially Carol… they've changed a lot.
"They're no longer people who need to be protected from behind. Now they've all picked up weapons and joined patrols and cleanup missions. Their combat ability is improving fast.
"Glenn and T-Dog go without saying. They've always been part of the main force.
"Dale and Hershel handle guard duty and give advice.
"Lori takes care of Carl and Sophia, and also helps with internal affairs…
"Otis and Patricia are trying some small-scale planting in the prison's open space, and Jimmy and Beth are helping too.
"Everyone… has found their place."
Calista's fingertips tapped lightly on the tabletop without her noticing.
In the storyline she knew, aside from the few who had died unexpectedly, most of the names Rick mentioned would one day become important pillars supporting Rick's group, and even the Alexandria community.
Maggie would grow into the leader of Hilltop.
Carol would become a terrifying warrior.
Although Andrea and Jacqui had suffered difficult fates in the original storyline, in this timeline, they had clearly stepped onto a different path as well.
Their growth meant the prison community's potential was rising. That would be important for future cooperation between Rock Fortress and the prison.
Just then, Calista remembered something crucial.
In the original storyline, whether because of the heat or because a little girl in the prison had kept feeding dead rats to the walkers, the walkers had gathered in large numbers.
Then the flu outbreak in the prison had started with the pigs.
In the end, the shortage of medicine had led to multiple deaths, followed by Carol killing people and leaving the group.
"Rick," Calista interrupted him, her voice turning serious. "I need to remind you about the livestock on your side. Hershel's pigs and the other animals."
She could not let that happen again. At the very least, she could not just watch and do nothing.
For now, a stable prison community brought Rock Fortress far more benefits than drawbacks.
Besides, they were part of the youth she had spent more than ten years chasing in her memories.
On the other end of the radio, Rick seemed stunned. "Livestock? What's wrong with them?"
"You must strengthen management and disease prevention," Calista said gravely. "When animals are kept together, especially in an environment with limited sanitation, disease can break out very easily.
"And once that happens, it won't just mean losing a food source. It could spread to people and cause serious consequences.
"You need regular inspections. Keep the pens clean. If there's anything abnormal, isolate it immediately, or even… if necessary, deal with the source decisively."
Rick was silent for a few seconds, clearly taking in her warning.
Hershel treated those animals like his lifeline, but Calista's tone made Rick realize this was not empty alarmism.
"I… understand. I'll have a serious talk with Hershel and make sure we pay more attention to this. Thanks for the warning, Calista."
That reminder seemed to make the atmosphere on both ends of the communication heavier.
Calista decided to press on while the moment was right. It was time to reveal something far more explosive.
In the original storyline, Rick's group had learned this cruel truth from Dr. Jenner at the CDC.
But now Jenner was with her, and they had never met him at all.
"There's one more thing, Rick." Calista's voice lowered. "Something very important. Something that may even overturn what you think you know."
Rick's heart seemed to skip a beat. He could feel the weight in Calista's words. "Calista, say it. What is it?"
"It's about the walker virus," Calista said slowly. "You've always believed that only people bitten or scratched by walkers become infected and turn into one of them, right?"
"…Isn't that true?" Rick's voice carried confusion, along with the first hint of panic.
"No," Calista answered firmly. "The truth is that all of us, every single living person, already carries the virus inside us."
The other end of the radio fell into dead silence.
Only the faint crackle of static remained, as if Rick's breathing and heartbeat had both stopped in that instant.
Calista could imagine the look on Rick's face right now, shocked almost blank.
She continued calmly, as if announcing a cruel diagnosis. "It lies dormant in our bodies. Death, no matter what causes it.
"Old age, illness, accidents, even trauma that has nothing to do with a bite… as long as the brain isn't severely damaged, death will activate it and turn us into walkers."
"This… this can't be!" Rick's voice finally came through again, trembling violently, hoarse with disbelief. "How do you know? What's your source? The CDC in Atlanta is gone!"
He thought of that place that had long since turned to ash, once their last hope for answers.
"I have doctors at my base, and a virology PhD," Calista said, using the explanation she had prepared long ago.
She did not want to reveal Dr. Jenner's existence.
After all, Dr. Jenner was still secretly studying her blood samples. But she could use a vague authority to support her claim.
"In the early days of the outbreak, they conducted research using the samples and equipment they could still access.
"This conclusion is based on the data and observations they had. The probability is extremely high.
"Think about it, Rick. Haven't you ever seen…
"A corpse come back for no apparent reason, even though it was never bitten?"