The Walking Dead: A New Beginning From the End of the World

"Zz... We're heading toward your position. Are there any updates we should know about?" Tommy asked over the radio, trying to get information on the convoy that had been waiting.

After leaving the city of Atlanta, those close to Jason knew that this was not the end of their problems, as there were still many issues to resolve.

"Sir! The captain of the third expedition group has joined us. We're now informing him about what we've discovered!"

Shortly after, the voice of Tommy's friend, Billy, came through the radio. "Tommy, I caught up on the situation from the soldiers who stayed behind trying to communicate via radio with potential survivors. Only one group of refugees in the city responded to our call."

Hearing that a group of survivors had answered their call, Tommy felt somewhat relieved that there were still people who trusted those from the outside world. "Alright, I'll inform the boss, and we'll decide what to do once we meet up."

"Understood. We'll be waiting." Billy replied in a serious tone.

Upon hearing this, everyone inside the truck Jason was driving turned to look at Tommy and the other person beside him. Truth be told, they didn't fully understand what was happening.

Jason, sitting in the driver's seat, had heard the radio report and figured that the survivors were likely from the nursing home in Atlanta.

He had originally planned to rescue them along with many other survivors, but he once again faced the same issue—he didn't know their exact location.

Now that he knew where these people were, he was determined to save them all.

"Rick, I'll have to delay your reunion with your family for a few more hours—we have to go back to the city!"

"What?"

"Are you planning to go back? Have you lost your mind?"

Rick couldn't believe it. The group they had entered Atlanta for was now safe, but they had barely escaped with their lives. Now Jason was saying he wanted to return to that walker-infested place, leaving many in total disbelief.

Merle also looked at Jason with slight surprise, wondering what was going through the mind of this man he had just met.

"Listen… When my group and I were broadcasting messages over the radio offering help to survivors, we didn't think anyone would actually have access to a radio. But one group responded, and as you just heard, there are refugees not far from where we were." Jason looked at the report Tommy handed him and told the others, "The refuge is a nursing home. There's still a group of young people and some elderly people surviving together, and I won't abandon them."

As Jason drove back toward the city, he explained in detail why he wanted to delay their return to the quarry. Everyone remained silent upon hearing this, and though they said nothing, Jason knew what many of them were thinking.

Some elderly people could no longer take care of themselves, meaning they would only consume resources in a shelter and require additional manpower to look after them. Was this really worth it?

When Jason learned about this group of survivors in the original story, he was pleasantly surprised and respected those who had stayed behind to defend the refuge until the very end. Now that he had the chance to save these people, he also considered the trustworthy individuals protecting that shelter during these desperate times.

"I'm sure many of you are thinking the same thing—that, in the long run, these people could become a burden, right? Those who have lived through this hell over the past month understand how difficult it is to survive, even while young and strong. But your experience is far from enough. Many things can happen in the future, which is why we need as many people as possible on our side to resist what is destroying the world."

Jason smiled slightly and continued, "I don't want to turn my back on good people just because it's convenient. At the very least, these people are a decent group that deserves to be saved."

"I can't stand the idea of leaving these elderly people behind. They lack food, medicine, and supplies. At this rate, they'll waste away. There are many of them—most are relatives or friends, people who didn't know what to do and finally decided to protect that place." Jason explained at length, and after hearing him, no one spoke. Instead, they remained deep in thought, their expressions unreadable.

"I'm going with you!" Merle suddenly said.

Jason turned his head and looked at Merle, feeling slightly surprised to hear him take the initiative. Ever since Jason had asserted his authority on the rooftop, Merle had been behaving differently, not doing anything out of the ordinary. But Jason had always kept an eye on him, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

Now, with Merle unexpectedly offering to join him, Jason, who had been about to ask something, paused.

Given Merle's personality, he would probably only reveal his true reason when they were alone, so there was no need to waste words now.

In the distance, Jason saw a long line of military vehicles waiting for their arrival—about eight Humvees equipped with machine guns and more than thirty soldiers. Half of the CDC's security forces were stationed there, this time alongside Billy Butcher.

"Alright, everyone, get ready to get off the truck."

When everyone heard Jason's words, they packed their backpacks. At that moment, trucks and several military vehicles were already waiting there.

"Hey, Morgan, are you comfortable?" Jason got off the truck and greeted Morgan, who was in the shooting port of the modified RV, which served as the command center for his people in this location.

"I'm fine. Everything has been quiet here since you left. Only a few walkers passed by, but your people took care of them. Are these the survivors you're rescuing?" Morgan examined the people getting off the truck one by one.

Meanwhile, the people he mentioned stared in awe at the military trucks and vehicles equipped with heavy machine guns, guarded by real soldiers.

They were real military personnel!

They had thought the nation's power was lost, but it seemed there were still people fighting for the salvation of not just this country, but all of humanity.

"Sir, we're ready to move out!" Billy approached Jason and reported with a serious expression.

"Good, let's move before it gets dark."

...

After exchanging greetings, Jason knew that Morgan was already informed about their next plan.

"So, Morgan, you guys can head back while we move out."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Morgan asked. After hearing Jason's plan, he didn't object and instead supported him.

Jason shook his head and said, "You still have a wife and son, so there's no need to take risks. It's better if you head back to camp with Glenn and the others first. Leave the heavy work to us."

At that moment, Rick also approached with an apologetic expression and said, "Sorry, Jason, I need to go back to camp first to see Lori and Carl. I really want to go with you, but I..."

"Rick! I understand, you don't need to explain!"

"I'm sorry, Jason!"

"No, maybe things will get ugly in the city this time. I have my team, and we can operate safely because of our training. Besides, Merle is coming with me. That help is more than enough."

"Thank you for everything you're doing! I mean it!" Rick was grateful for the help Jason offered, not just to him but to everyone who needed it. He believed that if it weren't for Jason, he wouldn't have made it this far.

"It's fine. We'll talk later. It's getting late, we need to move quickly!"

After Merle Dixon finished playing around with some weapons, the whole group set out on their journey.

Inside a Humvee, Jason sat in the back seat, with Merle beside him.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

After running over some walkers on the road, Jason said, "Go ahead and say whatever's on your mind."

Merle rubbed his chin and, after hesitating, spoke slowly, "Man, I'm not a good person. In today's world, if I ran into a survivor on the road, I might kill them first and then loot their stuff. I have my own principles and my own way of dealing with people."

"But after spending some time with you, I have a feeling it's a good idea to listen to you. I can follow your orders, but if you ever make me do something I hate, then my brother and I will leave your group. Don't doubt it, we can survive on our own."

Merle expressed his thoughts. In this completely new world, he believed that Jason's power and leadership style were the right way forward.

"You can do whatever you want, just remember one thing. Follow the main rules that you'll learn later, and you'll be free to act as you please. I need determined people like you and your brother." Jason looked at Merle, who was sitting beside him. Merle smirked slightly at the response. Looking into Jason's eyes, he felt that this man had lived through all sorts of things.

It reminded him of the feeling he got while hunting—staring directly into the eyes of truly terrifying beasts. And Jason's eyes, by far, belonged to the most dangerous living being he had ever encountered—a human who had lived and done it all.

But that feeling was fleeting. When he looked at Jason again, Merle realized that his expression had returned to something completely normal.

"Relax, I don't like violence and blood. It gives me a strange feeling," Jason said with a fake smile.

Merle chuckled awkwardly, but his forced grin was ugly. At that moment, Jason seemed even more terrifying than before.

…

In a nursing home in Atlanta, Guillermo was tending to an elderly man in the lobby of the building where they had been surviving until now.

He was the leader of this place, and as such, he always had to ensure nothing happened to these seniors.

A man named Felipe was also standing next to him, helping to support an elderly woman with white hair who looked at them with concern.

This place had actually been a nursing home before the world ended. In the early days of the outbreak, when everything started, all the staff had fled. Now, only Felipe and Guillermo remained, with the latter being a security guard back then.

In those first days, after the world collapsed, many children and grandchildren of the elderly came here. When they saw that many people had been abandoned after the staff left, and since there was nowhere safe to run to, they decided to stay and continue taking care of the seniors.

Fortunately, while some of the elderly suffered from Alzheimer's, most of them were still mentally sound. They were simply old people who just wanted to find a quiet place to live out their final years.

So, everyone persisted and endured their hardships to the very end.

At that moment, a young teenager ran inside, whispering something to Guillermo.

"It's true, help is here."

A smile appeared on Guillermo's face, and he followed the young man to the front courtyard.

Outside, a convoy of military Humvees and large trucks was parked outside the shelter. A man who seemed to be the highest-ranking officer approached, extended his hand, and said in a serious tone, "I'm Captain Jason. I am currently in charge of protecting what remains of the CDC and any refugees in need of help. You can rest assured—I've come to take you to a safer place where you will lack nothing."