"Zz... Jason, can you hear ?... Over."
The Jenners were startled by the sudden sound but felt relieved when they realized it was coming from Jason's walkie-talkie.
Picking up the radio, Jason responded, "Roger that, this is Jason. There are a lot of things to take care of on my end, and I can't leave at the mont. I suggest you find a place away from the city, not too far from the suburbs, and stay there for a while. I'll co looking for you as soon as I can... Over."
"Zz... I understand, buddy. I'm just glad you're okay."
Considering that Shane had taken good care of Rick's family at the beginning of the end of the world, Jason was at ease and not at all worried about anything happening to them during this ti. To be honest, he had too many problems to deal with here to be concerned about others.
If he didn't resolve them soon, he wouldn't be able to think beyond the days ahead.
Most of those who felt relieved to see the military outside had no idea—very few were truly aware that this was just the beginning. That's why Jason had to secure a solid path to achieve optimal objectives in the future.
There were so many people who needed to be saved that he preferred not to think about it. Those who crossed his path would have the opportunity to be taken under his care, and if they were a threat, they wouldn't et a good end.
While Jason was thinking about the future, he heard his radio buzz again, and a woman's voice ca through, sounding worried:
"Zz... Hello, Jason, my na is Lori. I'm Rick's wife. How is my husband?"
Letting out a troubled sigh, Jason responded, "He's fine… I've placed him in a safe location, and he'll be under observation. Don't worry."
"Zz... Thank you, Jason, I..." Lori's voice trembled slightly, unable to control the waves of emotion she felt upon hearing that the man she loved was safe and sound. She paused for a mont before the intercom buzzed again.
"Zz... This is Shane, Jason. I'll find a safe place as soon as possible. We'll stay in touch! Over."
"Zz... Copy that. Check the bag I gave you carefully and pay attention to your safety. My team and I will pick you up once the situation is under control on my end."
"Zz... You too, buddy! Over."
After putting away the walkie-talkie, Jason didn't explain much to the Jenners. He simply said that these people were also his friends.
"It seems like you're not even used to being thanked. You show a lonely expression whenever that happens..." Candace said without looking at Jason.
"I don't know much about close affection either. That's normal..." Edwin spoke, trying to relate to this man to whom he owed more than just words of gratitude.
"Ha, ha, ha..." Jason chuckled quietly. To be honest, whenever he heard about love and affection, he felt an emptiness in his chest, as if those kinds of feelings couldn't exist within him.
This was normal for special forces soldiers. They were trained for all kinds of situations, increasing their aggression. They had to be effective, brutal, and expert killers, only knowing how to take lives in the best possible way.
Maybe that was what kept Jason from being expressive—he had been so busy that he had never thought about his emotional developnt.
"There's no ti for that. When will we die, and how far will we get?" Jason thought, not giving much importance to those feelings.
...
At that very mont, on the outskirts of Atlanta, on a highway so distance from the city, a caravan was slowly moving away. Dale Horvath was sitting in the driver's seat of an RV, his eyes wide open as he looked in the rearview mirror.
The massive fireball from a mont ago had caused his pupils to shrink, and cold sweat was dripping down his forehead. In all his years, he had never witnessed a scene like the one that had just unfolded.
"Oh my God, how could they do that?"
Boom!
Distracted driving often has consequences, especially when following another car. Dale's RV crashed into the vehicle in front of it. It was a miracle that the speed wasn't too high.
Two young won stepped out of the front car—Andrea and Amy.
However, Dale Horvath didn't even notice. He was staring out the window toward the city. Due to the commotion, the two sisters didn't pay attention to the damage to their vehicle. Instead, they were fixated on the massive explosions erupting in downtown Atlanta.
The shocking scene caused countless people to step out of their cars and stare at the burning "City of Atlanta" behind them. The fireball had engulfed not only a large part of the city but also the hos of countless people.
However, without anyone realizing it, the explosions weren't just happening in Atlanta but all over the country—in cities like New York, Nebraska, Chicago, and many more.
Half an hour after the bombing stopped, the cars on the main road leading into Atlanta had co to a complete halt. So people began packing their belongings, planning to leave on foot due to the traffic, while others gathered to discuss where to go next.
Near Dale Horvath's RV, a group of people had gathered, including Dale, Andrea, Amy, an Asian man, a burly Black man, a Black woman, two n who looked like bikers, and a family of four.
Originally, it was just Dale talking things over with the two sisters and a few others nearby, but more people unknowingly joined them.
Dale was still deep in thought. Once the crowd had gathered, he seed to have found an outlet. His eyes were as wide as copper bells, and the beard at the corner of his mouth quivered as he spoke.
"This incident was absolutely unnecessary."
"Let tell you, if the situation weren't already lost, the military would never have dropped incendiary bombs on the city."
"This is so immoral. Where are our human rights? Why did they destroy our city?"
"Stupid human rights, old man! They don't care about your damn human rights. What they care about is whether they can save tomorrow—the interests of the rich! Do you understand?"
The older of the two biker-looking n was full of crude words, which made the surrounding people frown in disgust and step away.
"Can you show so respect, for God's sake?" Andrea stood beside Dale and spoke with so reproach.
rle Dixon grinned maliciously and, with a crazy smile, said, "Oh, sweetheart, I'll listen to you! You know why? Because you're beautiful. I like beautiful won! Who doesn't like beautiful won? Even the old man next to you would be enchanted by a pretty face."
A twisted smile appeared on Andrea's face, which imdiately turned into an expression of disgust as she turned away. Amy was about to say sothing, but Andrea grabbed her arm, silencing her. Seeing her sister's expression urging her not to cause trouble, Amy held her tongue, though her face was filled with anger.
Dale was equally stunned—his eyes widened even more as he just stared at rle in surprise.
rle didn't say anything; he just sneered strangely. But Daryl, standing behind him, suddenly spoke up.
"I don't care about the nonsense you're saying. Doesn't anyone here want to talk about those damn undead roaming the streets? In my opinion, those people are already dead, so why are they still walking around and trying to eat people?"
After saying that, Daryl pointed out, "Is there anyone here who actually cares about that?"
Upon hearing this, the Asian boy in the crowd stamred as he spoke about what he had seen and heard.
"Speaking of that, in the past few days, I've co across those kinds of undead. They seem incapable of dying. I saw soldiers shoot them dozens of tis, yet they could still stand."
"So of their internal organs had even fallen out, and they were still able to move freely."
"You said you saw these things the other day? Did you, Glenn?" The strong-looking Black man standing beside him also spoke.
"Yeah, to be precise, yes. I heard that roar—exactly the sa! In a residential house long before all of this started."
"It's total chaos in the city right now. I just hope the army cos to rescue us soon..." said the man nicknad T-Dog.
"Don't count on it, Theodore. Haven't you seen how much the military has lost? They're helpless. Otherwise, why would they have bombed the city?" The Black woman standing next to T-Dog also spoke, and everyone heard her continue.
"I work in the city's Urban Planning Departnt. A thod like this, one that completely destroys a city, is only used as a last resort."
"Jacqui, are you saying it's pointless to go to another city?" Glenn was well aware of the aning behind Jacqui's words.
Jacqui remained silent for a mont before nodding. "Basically, yes..."
"Alright, let's discuss what to do next. My na is Morales, and this is my wife, son, and daughter. I think instead of worrying about this, we should first discuss how to deal with the current situation. What do you all think?" said the man standing beside his family of four.
"Ha, ha, ha! How to deal with it? I'll tell you how! Those governnt bastards can go to hell. My brother and I were born for this kind of world. We can hunt and survive in the wild. As long as everyone listens to us, we'll protect you. What do you think?"
As rle Dixon said this, he lit a cigarette. With smoke drifting from his mouth, he spouted a few more nonsense words, then raised his eyebrows at Andrea with a lewd grin, making her shudder.
Just as they were about to turn around and leave, they suddenly heard a deep male voice behind them!
"I don't think so, and I'm sure the others don't think that's a good idea either."
A tall white man stood behind Andrea, looking at everyone with a calm gaze.
Before anyone could ask, the newcor spoke first. "Hello, my na is Shane Walsh. I'm a police officer from King County, a suburb of Atlanta. I just overheard your conversation, and I apologize. But I have a lot more information, and I have a place to go. I don't know if you'd be interested?"
After Jason ntioned the suitcase to Shane, Shane found many interesting things that he hadn't initially paid attention to.
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