Upon hearing José's words, Jason felt that one of the corpses seemed familiar. However, he didn't give it much thought, knowing he couldn't bring the dead back to life.
After watching José for a moment longer, he pulled his pistol from its holster. Looking at Rick and then Daryl, he understood what needed to be done: he had made a decision.
Rick and Daryl immediately understood what was in Jason's eyes, and both agreed.
"Please! Don't kill me!"
As soon as he gripped the weapon, Jason heard José's pleas. Despite having tried to kill them, the man still believed he had a chance to stay alive.
But Jason ignored his pleas. He raised his weapon and shot him in the head. At the moment of the shot, José's body lost all strength and fell backward.
Putting the weapon back in its holster, Jason stared at the corpse for a few seconds. Then he picked up the knife that was on the ground and put it in his bag.
"That was a scare!" murmured T-Dog upon hearing the sudden gunshot. Truthfully, he thought Jason would spare him, but he didn't mind this outcome.
"I spared your life once. Your second chance lost its value, idiot..." Jason murmured before moving forward.
The rest of the group watched his behavior in silence. No one opposed the result. Although they had suffered very few losses at the prison so far, it didn't mean they didn't understand the cruelty of these past days!
Jason had been injured, and Daryl had almost been stabbed by these people. If they had been a little more unfortunate, they would have been dead by now, and the group would be mourning their losses.
Many were already prepared to pull the trigger. This was what they usually encountered when leaving the prison, along with some principles Jason instilled in everyone whenever possible. These teachings had a real impact on their growth.
After checking all the clothes on the second floor, several people went up the stairs to inspect again. Jason found a room with clear signs of having been inhabited; it was probably the base of the three people they had just eliminated.
Looking at this place, there was nothing of value—just trash and an unbearable stench that filled the entire room.
Some members of the group found things in the parking lot. A van was parked at the back of the mall. It must have belonged to those people. There, they found some food, knives, and a few guns without ammunition. But what surprised everyone was finding several silencers.
They packed everything up and returned to the vehicle. Shortly after, everyone went home.
...
In a dark cabin.
Jason slowly opened his eyes. He looked at all the people sitting around him and smiled faintly. It had been a few days since the incident at the supermarket, but now they were flying with a hundred people on different helicopters toward the Georgia Institute of Technology, which was now under S.C.T. control.
Although they didn't have enough fuel to keep the helicopters flying continuously, for now, it wasn't a problem, and scheduled trips could be made to support the community's growth and the soldiers' training.
At that moment, many were being trained to survive, fight, and move in armed confrontations. The last training area, which also served as an expansion point, was in Atlanta, where they fought walkers and cleared buildings before they were sealed by Sam's people.
Currently, there were just over five thousand people at the central prison base; more than five thousand five hundred at the university, and about six thousand in Atlanta, working day by day in key factories.
In total, the S.C.T. community had no fewer than sixteen thousand people, but that number was already a concern for maintaining order effectively. Jason, aware of the problem, thought of a particular method to maintain control among the soldiers.
Every five months, the soldiers would be reassigned to different bases. This allowed Jason to maintain close communication with each one. No one was supposed to stay in one place for too long. It was no longer just about surviving; it was about building a future for those who chose to keep fighting.
In this way, the soldiers would understand that they worked for a higher order and that strict rules should never be broken under any circumstances. At that moment, Jason was transporting a hundred selected individuals from the prison to receive military training.
With so many people in the community, Jason also requested the development of a special combat suit designed to protect limbs from bites without restricting mobility. From now on, everyone had to learn to fight hand-to-hand and keep calm even in desperate situations.
All tanks, heavy trucks, armored vehicles, and settlements around the city of Atlanta were being cleared, with all these operations being led by Sam. The buildings, which weren't a priority for now, were receiving maintenance, and all the corpses were being removed to prevent future infections.
The situation had been evaluated, and for the moment, expanding within the city wasn't advisable due to the small number of people in the community with knowledge of handling weapons. Therefore, Jason changed his plan of advance: he would now focus solely on factories and strategic points where hidden bases would be established.
With this in mind, he proceeded to clear entire buildings with people not so skilled. This would not only serve as training but would also help prepare a place that, in the future, would become the central base for the entire community.
They needed time, but everyone was sure that, with firm steps, Atlanta would become the main objective. Now, the soldiers were no longer mere survivors protecting a shelter; they were soldiers defending a future that involved not only walkers but also humans.
"Commander, five minutes until we reach our destination!" One of the crew members announced.
Upon hearing this, Jason pressed a button on his chest, and the radio emitted a sound in the pilots' headphones.
"Zz... Understood. Contact the base and inform them that we're about to arrive."
"Zz... Understood, sir!"
For some time now, things had changed, and people had stopped calling him "Captain," as they used to. Now everyone called him "Commander," and that didn't bother him in the slightest. After all, there were now leaders of shelters… and he was above them all.
Minutes later, the helicopters slowly descended from the sky and landed on a flat area near the Georgia Institute of Technology. Several people were seen outside the campus, curious to know who the commander leading the S.C.T. community was.
When the helicopters touched down, Jason stood up and waited for the rear door to open. Once it did, he stepped out with a cold expression on his face. In the distance, Shane was waiting, standing with a big smile upon seeing his friend.
Seeing him, Jason gave a slight smile and approached to greet him.
"Shane, I have to say: leader of a whole shelter. How's it going leading this place?"
Shane scratched his nose and hugged Jason before responding, "This place is perfect, my friend. Though building the defenses has been tough, we have enough materials to build big walls around the center, just like you mentioned."
"I'm really glad you've been able to adapt to this place. You know you can come back to the prison whenever you want. You don't have to force yourself to stay here if you're not happy."
Jason looked him in the eyes. By this point in life, he knew Shane no longer had the obsession with Lori like in the original story, so he could be at ease wherever he was.
Since Shane had discovered that Jason was taking care of his friend, he never crossed any limits and protected Rick's family until they were reunited. But Shane knew he didn't have much to do at the prison; at least here, as a leader, he could help people, and he owed that to Jason.
After a few seconds of silence, Shane covered his forehead with his hand to shield himself from the sun and said:
"These people need my help, my friend. I can't go back to the prison and leave all these people who were rescued from Atlanta."
It was a shame because Jason needed him elsewhere. As the leader of these people, he knew Shane could become a fierce monster capable of defending this place with fists and sword without any problem. Still, Jason didn't insist and simply said:
"Lori is about to give birth. You can visit your friend and meet your niece."
"Hahaha, then yes, I'll take your word for it."