Everyone Is Gone

"Alright, let's begin!"

Hershel stood to the side with a worried expression, watching Jason's movements while staying on standby in case he needed help.

"The important thing is to remove the shrapnel from the wound. Let's hope I can get everything out and that no internal organs are damaged."

After saying that, Jason started the operation, his movements slow and careful. As he steadily moved his hands, Hershel ensured the wound was well-lit so everything remained visible.

The procedure was slow, but Jason successfully extracted the first piece of shrapnel. Based on his initial observations, no internal organs had been hit, so everything was proceeding well.

Outside, the previously silent surroundings were gradually filled with an indescribable tension. Jason's mind was racing as he analyzed how he should act based on what had just happened.

For some reason, things kept unfolding as he remembered, yet differently. Although the future had now been significantly altered by his decisions and ambitions, some events still occurred in the same way.

As he had done so far, he needed to remain careful and act in the most favorable way to take advantage of his still-useful knowledge.

This mistake would not happen again. From now on, he would stop considering others so much. Lately, he had been too focused on his refuge, neglecting other crucial factors. Now, he needed to concentrate on what was coming—there were many dangers but also countless opportunities awaiting in the future.

After half an hour of surgery, Jason, lost in his thoughts, had managed to remove several pieces of shrapnel. Despite the lack of proper medical conditions, everything had gone remarkably well.

The sound of shrapnel clinking against the metal tray snapped Hershel out of his own thoughts.

"Are you a doctor?"

"Not at all. It's not my specialty, but I received medical training in the special forces. Are my movements too stiff?" Jason asked while making sure everything was still in order.

Hershel, standing beside him, wiped the sweat from Jason's forehead and said, "Even though you have the knowledge, it seems like this is your first time doing this."

Of course, the old man was right.

Jason had never done this before, even though he had the theoretical knowledge.

"That seems to be the last one. I'll check a little more before closing the wound…" At this point, Hershel decided to take over the finishing touches, seeing that Jason had handled most of the work.

A sigh of relief filled the air upon realizing that Guillermo seemed like he would recover. Jason couldn't afford to lose a friend and someone who would be crucial to his future plans.

After some time, Hershel began stitching up Guillermo's wound with ease.

In about two hours, Hershel had completely finished. According to him, everything went quickly because the shrapnel hadn't penetrated any internal organs and was relatively easy to remove.

When they were done, Jason started organizing the room and couldn't help but admire the old man's ability to work under pressure.

As Jason stepped outside, he saw that people had been waiting for a long time. As soon as Hershel emerged as well, they hurried forward, eager to hear the news.

Smiles appeared on several faces. Rick immediately approached and asked, "How did the surgery go? I remember Candace saying you had some medical skills. Will Guillermo be alright?"

Jason nodded, scanned the group with a serious expression, then turned to Hershel and said, "I have to say, we owe a lot to Hershel. He helped me tremendously, and from what we've seen, Guillermo's injury isn't as serious as we first thought."

"Fortunately, the bullet fragments didn't damage any internal organs. You have incredible composure, even in situations like this. If you were a doctor, you'd definitely be one of the best." A deep voice came from behind the group, and Hershel stepped forward to address everyone.

Hershel extended his hand toward Jason and said solemnly, "Let me formally introduce myself—I'm Hershel Greene, a veterinarian. These are my daughters, Maggie and Beth. The one who injured your friend is Otis."

Jason shook Hershel's hand, turned, and introduced his group: "My name is Jason. You can just call me by my first name. These are my friends, police officers Shane and Rick. This is Glenn, T-Dog, and Morgan. The guy in the bed is Guillermo. We're all survivors from Atlanta."

Hershel immediately spoke with a slight note of apology, "I'm sorry for causing you such trouble. We'll take responsibility for your friend's injuries. He can recover here with us. During this time, you're welcome to stay at our home temporarily. We'll provide food and shelter until your friend gets better."

Rick stepped forward and said, "The good thing is that this didn't turn out worse, right? You don't need to take responsibility, Hershel."

"I insist."

"Then we'll take you up on your offer! This place can serve as a stronghold while we scout the surrounding area. We won't be a burden and can also help ensure your safety." Jason agreed with Hershel's proposal. Then he noticed the horses on the farm and asked, "Hershel, I have a question—do you have some horses here?"

Hershel nodded and pointed toward the nearby stable. "Yes, they're in the barn."

"Could I borrow two horses? Our convoy is stuck on the opposite road, and we need to bring it back."

Just as Jason finished speaking, Rick interrupted him. "Jason, get some rest. We'll go pick up the vehicles ourselves!"

Hearing this, Hershel turned back toward the house and called out, "Maggie! Come here for a moment!"

Soon, a woman in casual clothes peeked out and asked suspiciously, "Dad, what's going on?"

"Go to the stables and get a couple of horses. These gentlemen need to head to the road—escort them there and then come back."

Maggie shrugged and asked Rick and the others, "Which one of you is coming with me?"

"Glenn, you go! You're relatively light, so you'll be able to ride faster." Hearing Maggie's question, Jason immediately assigned the task to Glenn, who looked quite excited.

As someone who had witnessed the lives and deaths of many people around him, Jason couldn't bear the burden of caring about his friend's future love life.

Although this was his reality, there was still a lingering sense of guilt, and it wasn't as if Jason was particularly enthusiastic about romance at the moment.

"Huh? Me? What, what?" Glenn hadn't expected to be mentioned so suddenly. He had been staring at Maggie for quite some time, and when Jason called him, he immediately got nervous.

"Go with Maggie on horseback and drive our car back. We left a lot of important things behind."

"Oh, alright!"

After the two of them left, Jason entered the guest room of the house. As soon as he lay down on the bed, he felt his eyelids grow heavy and fell asleep after taking a deep breath.

Inexplicably, he felt strange, so he decided to sleep it off.

...

Atlanta, Nursing Home.

A few days after Jason helped the people in this shelter escape the city with some extra supplies, a group of individuals was rummaging through boxes in the surrounding area, as if searching for something among the abandoned belongings.

A tall, handsome white man stood in the middle of the backyard, staring at a statue of a child in the fountain at the center of the yard.

On the back of this statue, a pair of small wings extended. The child had a broad smile on his face, and his tiny hands held a book, pointing in the direction where the man stood.

At that moment, a middle-aged man with glasses, shorter than the man beside him, approached and spoke in a low voice, "Philip, I searched everywhere and found nothing. The people from this place seem to have left, and the thieves we captured don't seem to have anything…"

After the man finished speaking, Philip Blake remained motionless, still staring at the child's statue.

After half a minute, they watched as he turned around and walked toward the corner of the yard.

The man who had come to report looked in the direction Philip was heading and saw nothing but a few scattered bricks. Still, he didn't dare to ask any questions.

He saw Philip crouch down and sift through several bricks before picking one up, holding it in his hand, and slowly turning around.

"Milton, do you know why we're here?" Philip asked in a slow, dangerous tone as he walked toward him.

Milton couldn't help but tremble and quickly responded, "I do. We're here to find medicine."

Philip stood still by the fountain, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, but there was no smile in his eyes as he asked, word by word, "Then, tell me, why the hell can't we find that damn medicine?"

As he spoke, his anger grew, and his expression gradually turned into a crazed look! With each word, the brick in his hand struck the child's statue. By the time he finished speaking, only the crunching sound of the brick hitting the statue could be heard.

Milton stood there with his head lowered, his body trembling with each crackling sound. At that moment, he felt an overwhelming sense of fear take hold of him!

The man who was now losing his mind was once called Brian. A gentle, kind, and honest man who claimed to have a daughter—though in reality, she was his brother Philip's child.

This man, better known as the Governor, was beginning to move more and more in Jason's footsteps.