The Cleanup Begins

After hearing Merle's ridiculous words, Jason felt the tension in his thoughts ease a little and decided not to pay attention to the current situation. Indeed, while violence cannot solve all problems, it could be considered beneficial for everyone to learn how to fight.

"Jason, we came here voluntarily! This has nothing to do with Merle's decisions or anyone else's!" Amy stepped forward, standing in front of everyone, and spoke words that some, like Shane, found ridiculous.

"Besides, we also want to get used to fighting walkers. Our aim has improved a lot, my sister and I have learned many things, so we want to be useful."

Andrea also smiled awkwardly when she heard her sister's words and raised her hand to greet Jason and the others.

"I do too!" Carol, standing among the crowd, raised her hand and spoke weakly.

The only woman Jason respected, even if she was weak-minded at the moment.

"We can help you cook!" Jacqui also raised her hand generously.

"Yes, since it's always wise to conserve ammunition. We won't always have a large supply of bullets for them to practice shooting," Shane said, thinking the same way.

Ignoring the looks from the people around him, Jason decided he wouldn't take responsibility for everyone's safety in the community—one day, they would have to learn to defend themselves.

While this group of people spoke, Hershel's family, standing at the door of their house, was shocked. They had assumed it was a small group searching for supplies outside. Although they had heard Jason mention the CDC and knew he still had companions, they hadn't expected so many people to arrive at once.

Looking closer, none of these people seemed to be in bad condition. They were all strong men and women, some young, others middle-aged, which meant their group was definitely larger than just those who had recently arrived.

When the time came, a brief meeting was held, and all the newcomers were informed of what was happening. They were planning to take over a prison occupied by walkers.

Jason stood in front of the crowd and spoke in a strong, clear voice, "I believe you are all now aware of why we're leaving the CDC. Securing and clearing the prison is crucial for our future."

After saying that, Jason paused before continuing, "Since we have a large number of people in our group, we can open several areas at once. In this mission, everyone participating must be coordinated, and remember—your only job is to eliminate walkers. I don't want anyone losing their life over a simple mistake. Can you do that?"

"We can!"

"Alright! No more wasting time, let's move now."

...

Once everything was set, a modified RV drove down the road, followed by several other vehicles, all heading toward the prison. Driving along the road leading to the prison, Jason and his group cleared the way in no time and then simply drove straight ahead.

With the path now clear, there was no need to cut through the trees to reach the prison. The road had been blocked before, but now Jason raised his hand and checked the time—it was almost nine o'clock—and saw that everyone was calm.

Inside the modified RV, Jason sat in the passenger seat while Dale Horvath drove. Beside them were Otis, Glenn, and, surprisingly, Maggie.

"I told you it wasn't necessary for you to be here, Otis. This time, it could be really dangerous. And you, Maggie—Hershel is going to be furious when he realizes you're not home and questions your sister!"

"I'm fully aware of my own decisions. Besides, this has nothing to do with my dad. I'm not here for you either."

Jason didn't bother looking at Maggie, but when he saw the goofy smile on Glenn's face, his expression turned to surprise. Since when did those two get so close?

Otis, sitting in the last row, hesitated for a moment. He looked at Jason, and their eyes met before he finally spoke: "Jason, just because I live with Hershel doesn't mean I agree with his way of thinking. Those things aren't sick people. I go hunting often, and I know those things aren't human anymore…"

Noticing that everyone's attention was on him, Otis continued, "I don't think we can stay on the farm forever. If we ever encounter a large enough number of walkers, we'd have no choice but to run… So I hope you can convince Hershel to leave that place and move somewhere safer."

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Rick looked at Otis's somewhat serious expression and said, "I don't think Hershel is considering moving anywhere. I had a conversation with him earlier and learned that his family has taken care of the farm for many years. It's not easy for him to just leave that place."

"I had the same thought," Jason said with certainty, "but considering that the walkers from the city are expanding outward, a massive horde will soon form. Once the farm is in their path, the outcome won't be good for them."

Hearing Jason's words, Otis envisioned a massive swarm of walkers overrunning the farm, and a chill ran down his spine. He shuddered, and his concerns grew heavier.

Seeing this, Jason sighed, gripped his weapon, and said, "You don't have to worry. I'll talk to Hershel as soon as possible and help him make the right decision to save himself and his family."

Otis could only nod, as there was nothing else to do at the moment.

"I'll help convince my dad too!" Upon hearing this, Maggie looked at Glenn beside her, and the two silently held hands.

After some time, several cars slowly pulled up at the prison's main entrance. Everyone exited in an orderly fashion, wielding melee weapons. They immediately formed a perimeter and began taking out the surrounding walkers one by one.

Glenn used a bolt cutter to snap the prison gate's lock while the others continued clearing out nearby walkers.

Jason observed everything calmly. As soon as the group began moving efficiently with their weapons, he knew they had trained extensively.

As he moved forward, he nodded while standing in the center of the prison. Although the prison facilities looked old, the entrance consisted of a double gate with a wire mesh structure. Beside the gate was a watchtower, with a sign bearing the prison's name fixed to its wall.

Looking inside, there was a large yard, likely the prison's recreational area. At that moment, the yard was overrun with walkers, and even the walls were littered with corpses.

Everyone quickly entered through the gate, and Glenn and Daryl immediately shut and locked it. The walkers gathered outside the fence came to a halt.

The prison was designed with both an inner and outer fence, and the group was currently in the open space between them.

Jason took charge immediately, drawing everyone's attention as he assigned tasks. "Listen up, everyone. Daryl and Merle, take fifteen people to the west side. Shane and Morgan, you take another fifteen to the opposite side. The rest will follow me."

"Stay on high alert, take your positions, make noise, and draw the walkers from outside the fence."

"Oh, my God, look at that!" A young man suddenly pointed toward the entrance leading to the inner yard.

Everyone turned in that direction and saw that the sliding gate was open, with a large number of walkers inside.

"According to the original plan, I'll close that gate!" Jason signaled everyone to proceed to their designated positions.

"That's too dangerous!"

"There are too many walkers inside!"

Jason motioned for everyone to stay quiet and then said, "Alright, as planned, we need our best shooters. Shane and Rick, get to the towers on both sides. Everyone else, fire freely and clear out the walkers in the yard."

"Make sure you don't waste any ammunition," Rick added as he moved into position.

Seeing the group's determination, no one objected further, and they ran to their posts. Once in place, they started making noise. Glenn held the yard gate and warned Jason, "Be careful. On the count of three… two… one… now!"

With that, he pulled the gate open with all his strength, producing a loud metallic screech.

At that moment, Jason held a pistol with a silencer in his left hand and a machete in his right. The moment the gate opened, he swiftly dashed forward.

The adrenaline coursing through his veins heightened his senses, making his heart pound faster and sending oxygen surging to his limbs.

Jason felt truly exhilarated. He swung his machete, cutting down two passing walkers. Blood splattered in all directions, staining both his weapon and his hands. Moments later, the two walkers collapsed to the ground.