The Past and Present of Philip, the Governor

It was then that Milton discovered that his friend Philip's character was becoming increasingly strange. When he was inside the refuge he had worked so hard to maintain, he was a very kind and gentle gentleman, but once he stepped outside, he became extremely cold and aggressive.

Philip would often lose his composure inexplicably and abuse the survivors he encountered on the road during expeditions.

A clear example was just a few days ago when Milton found a corpse in a bathroom near the survivor camp. He knew that Philip had killed him because he was very familiar with the scars on the victim's body—marks left by Philip when he was interrogated.

Milton gradually began to fear the man he once considered a friend. Like any true friend, he tried to reason with him, but nothing could restrain a man who was worsening by the day.

In this way, Milton watched Philip's development step by step until today—when he had become the leader of this group of survivors! He could confidently say that he was the only one who truly knew Philip's past, eventually becoming his right-hand man.

To the eyes of those survivors, Philip was an intellectual, rational, powerful, and perfect leader. But to Milton, Philip was truly insane!

Today, he knew that Philip was searching for a place to settle—he truly wanted to have a place to call home.

In that search, he did everything possible to obtain resources, but the massive hordes of walkers had made things significantly more difficult.

…Georgia County, in a place abandoned by the living.

A group of people, who had never stepped foot in this area before, arrived. The walkers wandering aimlessly nearby were drawn by the sound of the approaching convoy. They emerged from every corner, slowly surrounding the vehicles.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The convoy's firepower was overwhelming. In no time, the walkers were effortlessly eliminated. Everyone jumped out of the vehicles. They seemed like just another large group of survivors, but there was one man who stood out above them all. He walked ahead of the group, pointing toward the two passageways at the front and rear of the community.

After observing for a moment, he ordered, "Call everyone down from the bus, then split into two groups. Once everyone is off, we'll position the bus to seal the street. Next, we'll find the smaller exits and take care of sealing them. Meanwhile, the other group will clear the surrounding area of walkers. Stay alert and be careful!"

Occasional gunshots echoed from different directions. Philip stood in the middle of the street in this new territory that would become the foundation of his power, watching people rush in and out, clearing houses. Survivors who passed by greeted him, and Philip smiled and nodded, satisfied with how things were progressing.

The clearing operation lasted an entire day, and by nightfall, they had finally inspected the entire community.

That night, everyone sat around the campfire, eating various canned foods they had gathered along the way.

Philip didn't eat. He simply held an open can and looked at the people around him. The orange light flickered against their dirty faces, but it couldn't illuminate their eyes—there was an emotion in them that disgusted him deeply.

He didn't want to live in such chaos. He missed the kind of life he had before everything that was happening today.

Thinking about this, he handed a can to Martínez, who was sitting beside him. The latter was surprised and instinctively took the can, then watched as Philip stood up.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Slow, rhythmic applause drew everyone's attention, and suddenly, the scene fell silent.

"Do you really think living like this counts as living?"

As he spoke, he pointed to the empty cans scattered on the ground. His deep voice continued, "Eating expired food every day, hiding over and over again without end—just look at us now. Does anyone remember the last time they took a bath? When was the last time you celebrated anything?"

"Do you think we should live like this in the final days of our lives?"

Martínez set the can down and said, "Philip, the world has changed—this is what the end of the world looks like!"

Hearing Martínez's words, Philip seemed agitated. His tone suddenly rose, and he responded passionately, "No! I don't believe that! Why can't we build a community just like before the end of the world?"

Philip stepped in front of the fire and gazed at the crowd with piercing eyes. The flames reflected on his face, and people could see that his eyes seemed to be burning with an intense fire.

"Is there anyone here who doesn't want to sit in their home and eat in peace every day?"

"Is there anyone here who doesn't want to live a clean and peaceful life for the rest of their days?"

"Is there anyone here who doesn't want their children to grow up happy and their elders to grow old in tranquility?"

Each sentence was like a knife, cutting deep into the pain in people's hearts. Some began to show longing in their eyes, setting down the food in their hands. A few even started to stand up.

Philip stepped closer, pointed at one of them, and asked loudly, "Do you want that kind of life?"

"I do!"

Philip pointed at another and continued shouting, "What about you? Do you want that life?"

"I definitely want it!"

Philip opened his arms, looked around, and shouted even louder, "All of you, answer me! Do you want that life?"

"We do!"

"Of course, we do!"

After a moment of silence, everyone rose one after another, their emotional cries filling the air. Philip looked around and saw the flames reflected in the eyes of all these people.

Seeing the crowd's fervor, Martínez also shouted, "Philip! Philip!"

The crowd's chants gradually synchronized, their voices echoing throughout the community.

Philip raised his hands, and the voices slowly quieted.

But all eyes were still on him, filled with anticipation.

"Don't worry, I will do everything I can to make that dream a reality. Now, listen to my plan."

Over the next period, Philip outlined in detail the division of labor for everyone.

The community they had occupied was a relatively luxurious one before the apocalypse. The surrounding facilities were well-equipped, including water sources, filtration systems, clinics, and other amenities.

However, many things were still lacking. For example, the outer wall needed reinforcement with sturdy materials, food and fuel supplies had to be secured, and they had to find common necessities, among many other things.

Under Philip's leadership, the community gradually developed. As it grew, they also took in new survivors, and slowly, everyone became addicted to this illusion of satisfaction.

No one wanted to wake up from this beautiful dream, and the decaying world outside became nothing more than a distant nightmare. Walkers roamed everywhere, making the town's survivors unwilling to face the outside world.

Thus, Philip completely dominated the town. When he was inside, he enthusiastically helped everyone in need and often went out on supply runs. Each time he returned, he brought back large amounts of supplies, further cementing the people's admiration for him as a kind and elegant leader.

But only Milton and Martínez—who accompanied him on these supply runs—knew the true face of this man, a venomous snake! He could kill any survivors he encountered without a second thought and steal their supplies, or he could feign submission when facing a powerful enemy, only to strike the moment they let their guard down.

Yet, his generous treatment silenced those who knew the truth. No one in the community would ever speak against Philip. They understood that mere words couldn't tarnish the glorious image he had built in people's hearts. In fact, the people even affectionately called him "The Governor."

At this moment, Philip—The Governor in everyone's minds—sat in a secret room next to his own quarters.

Against one wall of the hidden room was a rectangular fish tank that spanned the entire wall. In the adjacent room, his sick daughter lived.