"I'm sorry about my mother. She got really upset because she's deeply worried about the future we've fought so hard to secure. Ever since my father died, she's done her best to take care of us. Moving forward after that wasn't easy," said Alicia as she walked beside Jason.
"You never really get over such a painful, meaningful death. You survive with it, and that's something I've only just learned," Jason sighed bitterly. He was certain that if it hadn't been for Alicia's help—or if he had been just a little more reckless—he'd be dead by now.
During this time, Jason had had enough space to reflect on everything that had happened and everything he had done. He never saw himself as a bad leader. It was true that he prioritized benefits and risked the safety of his followers, but he did so with a vision of a future where those gains would benefit the entire community and bring stability to their way of life.
The bullets that hadn't been used against the Governor were used to kill walkers—no one could deny that fact.
In simple terms, Jason realized that sometimes he had acted like a complete fool, and other times he believed he could handle everything without suffering losses. But not everyone can be saved, and in a world like this, that's a truth one must accept. The time he had spent with Alicia had made him understand that he wasn't invincible.
Anyone can die in a matter of seconds. And with that premise, not everyone can be rescued. A good general must keep going despite the loss of his soldiers—but he must never forget those who gave their lives to build a better world.
The community he had built through tremendous effort and sacrifice might now be stronger than the CRM. There's no doubt their power could be evenly matched, and there's no reason to fear them anymore. However, Jason knew that a full-scale war wasn't ideal—not unless he could win it with minimal casualties or guarantee victory.
Ever since Jason learned about the future, he had always focused on the strongest enemies he would have to face. That's why he hadn't seen the smaller threats as significant—and that's how he completely overlooked the Terminal.
And now it turns out there are problematic communities he had never even heard of, which puts him in a bit of a dilemma: he must deal with completely unhinged people.
...
Inside a room, Jason, Alicia, Morgan, and Daniel—along with other key members of the community—were gathered to be briefed on what was about to happen, and of course, what had already taken place.
"My team and I were evacuating a nearby military base that held hundreds of survivors, but just as we arrived, it was overrun by walkers. As the leader, I decided to stay behind so my people could retreat safely."
Jason was seated in front of everyone. Morgan, at his side, nodded silently at the explanation and didn't say much.
"When our helicopter had engine trouble and we were looking for a place to land, we were attacked by a group called the Vultures."
"Billy was killed... A lot of soldiers died in that senseless attack," Jason added, then looked around the room. "It seems many—if not most of you—already know the group I'm talking about. I have a safe community in Atlanta. Thousands live there, and I can assure you, food is not scarce."
"As soon as my people arrive, I'll begin evacuating this community. It's not safe to stay in this part of the city—especially with those people outside."
When Madison heard Jason's words, she shook her head and asked, "So what will you do about that group who attacked you?"
"We'll kill them. Every last one of them."
A cold silence fell across the room, finally broken by Morgan: "Many families have been murdered in cold blood by those people. If we strike back, the entire area around this community will feel the consequences."
"We won't take part in this. I don't want any confusion," Madison said after a moment of thought. "Besides, we're doing fine here."
Nick looked at his mother and pointed out, "We've been in plenty of places that turned out to be truly dangerous. It's not that we don't want to leave with you—it's just the lack of trust that's stopping us."
Jason understood. He looked at Alicia and said, "Alicia knows me well enough after these days we've spent surviving together. There are walkers your group isn't ready to face. I've seen your camp, and honestly, you barely have enough to eat. Give it a few more months, and I'm sure you won't make it in this place."
"That's enough!" Madison shouted at Jason.
"Seems like you need time to think it over, Mrs. Madison. My people are already on their way here, and we'll use this site as a temporary operations base," Jason said as he stood and walked toward the door. "I know I'm a complete stranger to many of you, but we have something in common: we protect our families."
As Jason left the room, Morgan followed. He knew they had to give the community time to decide whether to follow them to Atlanta or not. It was hard to trust someone who showed up out of nowhere claiming to have a safer place, so everyone needed time to think it through.
Alicia looked at her mother and said, "They're good people, Mom. I've had time to talk to Jason and learned a lot about his shelter. In Atlanta and across Georgia, his community has grown enough to offer a safe place for thousands."
After a few seconds of silence, Nick added, "They have a base and enough strength to wipe out the Vultures. Some of our people were killed recently by that group."
"This is something I need to think about. You all know we can't make rushed decisions these days," Madison said, clearly focused on protecting her family.
Daniel Salazar looked at the Clark family and then added what he knew: "The Vultures are just a branch of a cult that believes in some nonsense about a 'new beginning' or something like that. Some people in this community were already aware of them."
"But killing all of them is a bit extreme. I don't want to go to a community led by someone like that. Sooner or later, he'll put us in danger," Madison argued, tension in her voice.
"They eat human flesh!" Alicia exclaimed in frustration.
"They need to die. I think everyone here knows that a good leader is one who sacrifices for their people and protects those around them with humanity."
Most people in the room knew it, and Madison was no exception. Nowadays, everyone did whatever they could to hold on to the last bit of humanity they had left, afraid of losing it. Daniel didn't care whether the Vultures lived or died—he knew eliminating them was the best choice.
...
Outside, Jason stood on a lookout, watching as shadows approached the stadium in the distance. Holding a radio in his hand, he knew his people had arrived.
"Zz... Jason, this is Shane. We've made it."