The Walking Dead: A New Beginning From the End of the World Chapter 17 17: The Announcement

Ergency Broadcast.

"[Attention, attention. It is reported that the virus known as 'Wildfire' is spreading at an alarming rate worldwide. Recent reports indicate that security in Atlanta has collapsed. The situation in other regions of the country remains uncertain. Stay tuned for further updates.]"

"[The World Health Organization, in collaboration with elite teams from several countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Russia, and China, together with the CDC, is working tirelessly to contain the 'Wildfire' virus. It is estimated that a vaccine could be available within a minimum of four months. We ask for calm and cooperation during these critical tis.]"

"[The governnt has established multiple refuge points for the civilian population. With martial law in effect, military forces have been deployed to ensure the safety of all citizens and manage the situation regarding the infected. Follow official instructions and proceed to your assigned shelters.]"

"[The chaos is increasing. We reiterate the call: If you are experiencing symptoms or know that you are infected, report imdiately to health authorities. Your decision will not only protect your loved ones but will also contribute to society's survival.]"

"[Be brave and die for the living before you kill humanity's hope of returning to what it once was.]"

…

CDC, Atlanta – Days After the Bombing

Jason sat in a chair, his left hand gripping a rifle as he watched the camp that had been set up outside the facility, analyzing his odds. A part of him wanted to save the civilians outside, while another part told him to wait.

It had been an entire week since the military established itself outside the CDC facility, but according to Daniel's reports, these soldiers would not be able to maintain security for many more days.

But Jason had known this from the start. After all, in his past life, this facility had been an important location for those who knew its history. And he knew better than anyone what his priorities were—protecting the facility to avoid losing Candace.

If they admitted civilians into the facility now, it would be unfair to the many who could not get in.

There wasn't much he could do for the people outside at this mont. Controlling a large crowd would only disrupt his upcoming plans. It is said that to build a new society, the old one must be destroyed, and that cos with making many enemies.

He had thought it through, and he would only help the soldiers and civilians outside once the barricades beca unsustainable. But for now, he just had to wait until everything settled and start planning what to do next.

"This is a disaster, isn't it?"

Hearing the voice beside him, Jason shifted his gaze and saw Tommy, his hands tucked into his vest. Like the others, he was growing anxious from staying inside the CDC for so long.

When Jason had first contacted Tommy to have him join his private security company, everything had started as a series of plans that would later change.

Over ti, he had shared his story with Tommy, and they had beco close friends who understood each other better than words could express.

Jason knew that Tommy loved music and chewing gum. His favorite pasti was treating people with his limited dical skills. But despite his noble personal interests, his perpetually irritable personality ant he had few friends.

That was why Tommy had insisted so much on having Jason as a friend—after all, they were remarkably alike.

Looking outside the CDC at the refugee camps, Jason saw families embracing, their faces filled with worry. The soldiers were no different. They all knew firsthand the hell that had been unleashed upon society, and all they could do was hope for the announcent of a cure that had yet to co.

"Even if we can't do much for those people outside, we need to broadcast valuable information on the radio about how to deal with the infected—for the rest of the world." Jason referred to the infected as "people," as no one had yet grasped the concept of "walkers."

Hearing those words, Tommy looked at Jason with wide eyes. He had seen the innocent expression on his friend's face, but he knew better—deep inside, Jason was a true monster.

Tommy felt uneasy about Jason's expression, so he nodded in agreent and said, "We must keep this place secure at all costs. If the scientists discover a cure, all the chaos will end, and people will be able to return to their normal lives."

"Do you know what will actually happen?"

After a mont of silence, Jason placed his hands on the window glass and said:

"The order you know will crumble, and what remains will be nothing but the ashes of a forgotten civilization. There will be no rules, no rcy, no humanity. Those who survive will do such atrocious things that even beasts will fear their shadows."

Jason scoffed at his younger self, knowing there was nothing exciting about living in a world like this.

There was no fun, no thrill—just despair eating him alive.

"Will it really be that bad?" Tommy had always respected Jason, but seeing him like this truly terrified him.

Jason, who had been reading a lot lately, looked at Tommy and said, "You know it. The population will shrink, food will beco scarce, and desperate people will turn to cannibalism. Betrayal will co from those closest to you."

Saying this, Jason paused, looked at Tommy, and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"When the ti cos, we must create a strong and united society—one that is hardworking and responsible. I hope that by then, you'll be able to help , Tommy, because I won't be able to do it alone."

"Will you stay by my side until the end, Tommy?"

"Of course, I'll support you wherever you go, Captain. All of us who have followed you until now will continue to do so."

…

That night, as the world slept and silence enveloped every corner of the facility, Jason closed his eyes.

But sleep never ca.

Instead, mories surged through his tense mind, bringing fragnts of a past so hazy he could barely piece them together.

They were like distant dreams, blurry images of a yesterday that felt foreign, and yet, every morning, when the sun rose over the horizon, those mories returned to him with cruel clarity. They weren't just shadows of what once was, but open wounds that never healed—sensations so vivid they burned into his skin.

Jason feared that one day he would forget who he truly was.

Secretly, he hoped never to forget.

But unfortunately, he was losing mories, making his certainty about what was to co even more vivid.

"Give the strength to walk this path… to build a new world."

He murmured, praying to any god who would listen, despite not being religious.

For a few seconds, his prayer went unanswered. But he didn't need a response.

He had learned that faith in others was a luxury he could not afford.

For days, he had studied every agent under his command within the CDC.

Jason was about to take the next step, so he needed to know the people he had been observing now that the world was collapsing. Their gestures, their words, their deepest fears. He knew what they wanted, what they feared, what made them human… and what made them dangerous.

He could not afford the mistake of blindly trusting people he didn't know.

He had worked too hard, gathered too many resources, and drawn up plans with surgical precision.

Every effort, every sacrifice, every decision made in the solitude of his mind ford the foundation of his future.

He would not allow anyone to take away what was rightfully his.

Throughout that week, he forced himself to interact more with others. He asured their responses, assessed their loyalties, and searched for the slightest crack in the façade of those around him.

And when he promised to make decisions for the good of the group—to take risks before putting anyone else in danger—it wasn't just words.

It was a leader's vow to his subordinates.

Outside the CDC, dozens of army trucks began loading supplies, and all their engines roared to life.

More than a dozen ard soldiers climbed into the vehicles, fear evident on their faces. Just minutes ago, the defenses had been breached by many of the walkers they had been holding back with ease. The unexpected ca shortly after—that was the outbreak of an infection within the temporary civilian shelter.

"Sergeant! Are we abandoning these people?" a soldier asked hesitantly.

"We've done everything we can. The defenses of this camp are unsustainable." The middle-aged man didn't even lift his head at the question. Instead, he kept studying the map, searching for a viable relocation point.

The soldier said nothing more, shutting the small iron window before leaning back in the passenger seat, watching the chaos unfold outside.

"What about the CDC's security? Is it really impossible to create a cure in such a short ti?"

"Shut the hell up. This decision fills us all with sha—don't make it any heavier."

In the rear compartnt, the middle-aged man in special combat gear looked at the soldiers before him and said, "Alright, if we evacuate using this route, we'll avoid the main streets. We haven't received any governnt reports in a week. There's nothing more we can do but retreat."

"Move out!"

Several army vehicles began leaving the provisional camp, and the civilians, realizing this, scrambled to find a ans of escape.

But not everyone put their own survival above their duty. While so soldiers fled, others were giving everything they had to protect the people they had sworn to defend.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Boom!

"The defenses have been breached! Get to the vehicles and start loading people in! We need to get out of here."

"Understood, Captain!"

The few remaining soldiers had solemn expressions as they acknowledged the importance of their actions. With eyes full of determination, they responded in unison.

Everyone began moving, but they knew this was unsustainable. With the chaos that had just erupted, many had already been infected with the virus—it was only a matter of ti before everything collapsed.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Move, now!"

"Mom, I'm scared!"

The soldiers opened fire on the nurous walkers swarming the camp, but the situation was spiraling out of control.

"Marcos, we need to fall back now!" shouted a sweat-covered Black soldier.

"Everyone, follow ! Retreat along the planned route and find an exit!" Around thirty soldiers moved alongside hundreds of civilians retreating with them.

From a distance, they could see that the entire temporary camp had been overrun by walkers—many had already fallen victim to those monsters' teeth.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Reloading!"

"Mike, cover !" Marcos shouted as he looked at his comrade, who was positioned far ahead of the rest.

"Shit, this is my last magazine, Captain!" Mike, the Black soldier, glanced at the people behind him, morale at an all-ti low.

With the military retreating, they had lost a clear defensive line, and chaos consud everything.

"There are too many of them!"

As everyone retreated toward the CDC's main gate, hoping it would open, they struggled to hold their ground, firing at the closest walkers.

…

On the other side of the gate, Jason stood with a team of fifty elite soldiers strategically positioned to contain a potential walker breach, awaiting orders.

"Alright, we're saving these people…"

"Understood, Captain!"

Just as the soldiers who had run out of ammunition were about to lose hope, the gate behind them opened, and a heavily ard group surged forward.

Moving past the retreating soldiers, they opened fire on the advancing walkers.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Everyone, get inside now!"

At those words, dozens of civilians and soldiers rushed into the CDC without a second thought about the people who had co to their aid.

Jason, leading the advance group, aid with precision and fired at the slow-moving walkers. He still couldn't believe how these creatures had overwheld armies ard with powerful weaponry.

"Captain, everyone's inside!" Billy shouted loudly.

"Good! Fall back!" Not wanting to waste more ammunition, Jason stopped firing and stepped inside the facility to face the next challenge.

Once inside, whether soldier or civilian, everyone was deeply grateful. But at that mont, the highest-ranking soldier among them stepped forward and murmured, "Thank you for opening the door. You saved many lives when that wasn't your responsibility."

Jason ignored the Black man's words and instead focused on the civilians gathered in the massive reception hall.

"I'm relieved to know everyone is safe."

"Yes, it all happened so suddenly…"

After recovering from the shock, the Black soldier nad Mike took a closer look at the elite unit that had saved them from the walkers, wondering who they were. If they were from the CDC, they shouldn't be this heavily ard.

"Alright, everyone will undergo a blood test." Removing his mask, Jason spoke clearly and firmly, "Now, I'm going to ask two questions—one for the soldiers and one for the civilians."

Sensing sothing unusual, Mike and his friend Marcos looked at the man speaking.

"My na is Jason. I risked my life to save all of you under my responsibility. Now, my job is to maintain security in this facility, so I ask you—will you remain soldiers, or will you beco civilians?"

Jason observed the soldiers, their faces frozen in shock. The emotions they had just experienced had clearly taken a toll on them.

"And for the civilians—courage is indispensable in this facility. Nothing will be given for free. You must prove your worth to stay here."

"Do you agree that we all must help one another?"

"If so of you wish to stop being soldiers, you may beco civilians, whom we will protect. But for those who want to be useful, believe —there is plenty of work to be done here."

Jason paused before adding, "But if you choose to remain soldiers, you will follow my orders—absolutely."