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🕑 Added 2025-06-25 18:54:03 +0000 UTCA New Beginning From the End of the World
Chapter 187 – Is This Still Chocolate?
"Some of you were personally taken in by me a few months ago, and now I'm sure each of you could kick my ass."
Jason gave a proud smile; he wanted to praise these men who formed the foundation of his military strength. They would open the door to new opportunities and goals, so he wanted to show them their hard work had been worth it.
He wasn’t usually that kind of man, but with the recent discoveries, those three hundred soldiers were only the beginning of something much bigger he would need in the future.
Jason’s words were brief—it was nighttime, and there was still a lot to do.
Everyone slowly gathered around Jason and those mysterious people who were obviously soldiers. They had all come from Atlanta.
"You’ve all seen how powerful we can be together. Society and the harshness of life have turned us into formidable survivors. Some of you get it... some still don’t."
Jason paced back and forth as he looked over these people with absolute authority. After all, he was the commander of the entire S.C.T. community.
"Glory to humanity!"
Performing the trademark salute of the S.C.T. community, everyone present felt a chill run down their spines.
"Glory to humanity!"
Nodding with satisfaction, Jason announced, "There will be a meeting later to discuss the tasks that need to be carried out. For now, set up your tents and unload your belongings."
"Understood, sir!"
After those welcoming words, everyone began moving to carry out the necessary tasks and settle into Alexandria.
"Deanna, this will only be temporary. Once we expand this place, we’ll decide what to do first. We now have enough guards to secure the perimeter. There won't be any problems," Jason said as he approached Deanna.
Deanna looked over all those people and nodded. She had no objections, so she replied, "This isn’t a problem, Jason. We’re all part of the same community now."
Hearing that response—so very Deanna Monroe—Jason gave a small smile and nodded. "Good. In an hour, we’ll hold a meeting where I’ll share some important information about our future. I hope to see you and potential members from Alexandria there."
Casting a glance at Aaron, Jason nodded in greeting and walked toward a special area that had been set up since their arrival. He signaled to Raúl Méndez and Morgan. Both nodded and walked with Daryl to follow him.
Inside a military tent was a special crate brought from the military camp they had cleared before arriving in Alexandria. Inside that crate was the corpse of the mutated walker.
"Go help with the resources that just arrived, kid," Jason told the young man guarding the entrance of the tent.
"Yes, Commander!"
After giving the order, Jason felt the pressure in his chest from the past few days begin to ease, which made him feel much more at ease. Although he feared that walkers might evolve into even deadlier predators, he knew he’d still have the upper hand even if that happened.
Ignoring the looks around him, Jason signaled for the others to come in. Later, when everyone had gone back to their homes, he also entered. But from the shadows behind some crates, a young girl—who Jason would later recognize as Enid—had stealthily approached the tent.
Crossing the tent, Jason saw that everyone was staring at the walker’s corpse, which was still in decent condition. Jason raised his hand to check the time. It was nearly nine o'clock.
After everyone saw the walker with their own eyes, silence fell and they each reflected on the danger it posed.
"How long has it been dead?" Morgan asked, slowly approaching the body.
"Two weeks... maybe one? Even so, this bastard hasn’t rotted like the others. He even sent Jasonflying like he weighed nothing," Daryl replied, observing the body from a distance.
"Yeah... that’s something I was trying not to mention," Jason muttered, glancing at Daryl and adding, "I was protecting the team... That walker came out of nowhere..."
"We know you're strong, but that doesn’t change the fact that it sent you flying," Daryl said without looking at him, hiding a smirk.
"This is bad... If walkers kill like some movie virus, we’re in serious trouble," Raúl thought, visibly shaken. Still, he just stared at the body in silence, unwilling to voice his fears.
Since no one else seemed willing to speak, Raúl simply sighed and asked no further questions. After all, everyone had their own theories, and it wasn't wise to jump to conclusions.
"I’m sure they won’t be a problem. One arrow and I can take care of one of these."
Daryl was still bragging. This was one of those rare chances he had to mess with Jason, and he was secretly enjoying it.
"That bastard dodged bullets, Daryl! I know you like playing Robin Hood, but you wouldn’t stand a chance against a walker like this. If it sent me flying, you wouldn’t even have time to reload your crossbow."
Jason gave Daryl an annoyed look. Like any respectable man, he needed to set things straight.
"No, you’re wrong..." Daryl replied, showing no intention of backing down.
Morgan, who was sitting next to them, stopped the conversation when she saw things getting tense. She hesitated for a moment, then voiced her concern:
"If what you're saying is true, haven’t you come across other anomalies along the way? We need to be ready."
Jason turned his head to look at Morgan. Seeing the worry on her face made him feel relieved—he wasn’t the only one feeling anxious.
"What we need to do is send this special walker to the central base with Candace. There, they can analyze what makes it different from the others and whether there might be more like it."
"Does anyone else know?" Raúl asked seriously.
"Does it matter?" Daryl replied, not expecting an answer.
"No, it doesn’t. Raúl, organize the squad that will return to the central base," Jason ordered. Then he turned to Daryl and added, "I want you to talk to Maggie. It’s been a while since they came back. Even though we’ll return soon, it’d be good to ask if she wants to go now that there’s an opportunity."
"That goes for you too, Daryl..."
Daryl nodded at Jason’s words. Truth be told, they had been away for quite some time. Before leaving the military tent, he said:
"You need me... or you’ll die petting that clown king’s cat."
"Clown king?" Morgan murmured curiously.
"It’s nothing. Go help the others. And don’t forget to attend the meeting."
After dismissing everyone in the tent, Jason stepped outside and pulled a chocolate bar from his vest. As he opened the wrapper, he turned his head slightly and said:
"Don’t want any chocolate, Enid?"
A few seconds later, Enid stepped out from a corner of the tent and stood beside Jason.
"I didn’t hear anything..."
"I don’t care. What are you doing up at this hour?" Jason asked with an indifferent expression. In truth, he didn’t have much to say in this situation.
"Do you think anyone can sleep with all the noise out there?" Enid replied with some frustration as she took the chocolate and walked away without another word.
"It was a pleasure seeing you... though I’m not sure where we stand. Are we friends? You’re hard to read, Enid. Don’t eat all the chocolate... even if it’s 99.99% cacao."
In the distance, Enid looked at the chocolate in her hand and murmured:
"Is this still chocolate?"
Jason smiled, turned around, and walked toward the meeting that was about to begin. There was much to do and little time.
