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🕑 Added 2025-05-16 06:34:14 +0000 UTCA New Beginning From the End of the World
Chapter 133 - The Proposal
In the room, Merle stood in a corner holding an assault rifle; from time to time, he could be heard whistling while keeping his eyes fixed on the policewoman.
Right across from Jason, Shepherd was sitting, wearing a slightly nervous expression, feeling that this situation was deeply unsettling. She had overheard the previous conversation and, based on what was said, these people were soldiers. That meant they should be more familiar with what had been happening around the country.
"Can I share my thoughts with you?" Jason asked as he looked at the policewoman.
"Huh? Sure..." Amanda Shepherd didn’t really understand how Jason wanted to communicate with her or why, so she nodded slightly, not thinking much of it.
Upon hearing Amanda’s nod, Jason smiled faintly and then asked, “Why the hell are we doing this right now?”
“What?”
“Who do you people think you are to waste my time like this? It seems your people are pretty arrogant, thinking they have the privilege to go and check whether what I said is true or not. And considering that many of the officers here apparently abuse the survivors, should I really give you that privilege, or just deal with things right away?”
Jason felt like this was all a game. Who did these people think they were? He had just mentioned he was military, right? If his gear and his words weren’t clear enough, then this place had a serious problem with comprehension.
“We haven’t abused any survivors, sir. We've been with them ever since the military bombed Atlanta. How could you say something like that?” Amanda tried her best to defend the reputation of her fellow officers.
“Hmm, Dawn might be the leader of this group, but it’s clear she can’t control the officers stationed at this hospital. I admire that you’ve gathered survivors, but that doesn’t erase your other crimes.”
“And here I thought I was the devil surviving. The damn nerve the police had even before all this went to hell—ain’t that right, Bob?” Merle turned his gaze toward Bob, who was silent.
“Huh, what?” Bob had been lost in thought and hadn’t heard Merle’s question, so he replied almost absentmindedly.
“See? My friend Bob used to suffer from racism—ain’t that enough to know that folks with a badge are the bad guys? Hell, even in the movies, you people were never the good ones.”
“I didn’t suffer from racism…” Bob looked at Merle and tried to deny what he had just said, but it was already too late.
“Well, I guess that doesn’t matter. Take the gun from our friend here, Merle…” Jason shook his head and sighed.
“Of course, I’ll take the gun from our dear companion… Listen, you better not tell anyone about this—if you do, things will get bloody.” After disarming Amanda Shepherd, Merle shook his head, a bit disappointed.
Amanda, on her end, looked at Jason in shock. No matter what she said, Jason had just revealed a glimpse of what he was thinking while Dawn wasn’t around.
“Like I said before, I’m good at spotting ticking time bombs, and there are plenty here. All of you will be relocated to a facility once my people arrive. I’ll find out what you’ve done, and you’ll be punished accordingly—this is your second chance.”
Seeing that no one else said anything, Jason just sighed and stopped talking; he knew wasting time here wasn’t ideal in his current situation. With places to go, Jason pulled out a radio from his chest and informed Shane of what had happened.
Shane’s base was closer to the hospital and could arrive in about eight minutes if the trip went smoothly. Sam Valdez’s base, which was a first-class military facility, was further south and the trip could be much longer and more complicated, so Jason preferred not to bother him.
“But you could help me make sure no one gets hurt. Could you do that for me?” Jason’s eyes focused on Amanda Shepherd, asking her with an intrigued look.
“What do you need me to do?” Amanda asked with a complicated expression. She knew better than anyone that her colleagues acted however they pleased, and no one could stop them.
It had been hard to witness at first, but after a while, nobody said anything—it became something hidden. Now that someone had arrived claiming they could help everyone, she would definitely agree to resolve it without any bloodshed.
Merle, who had taken Amanda’s weapon, stepped forward, placed the pistol back on the table, and said, “It’s easy. Just make a list of the problematic cops, and our people will take care of locking them up.”
Jason nodded at Merle’s words and looked at Amanda, waiting for her response. This was much easier to resolve than the issue with the Governor. None of the cops here were completely evil, and with some time under Corporal Ryan’s training, they could become trustworthy again.
With the bases expanding, Jason needed to establish three different types of forces that would be more sophisticated. The community needed police officers, soldiers, and fighters who could eliminate walkers using melee weapons.
These police officers would definitely be useful in beginning to implement that plan. After all, their help and experience would be very valuable. As for how it would all develop, Jason had only considered it superficially.
“If you promise no harm will come to my teammates, I can do that for you. I just don’t want anyone to get hurt,” Amanda Shepherd said with a conflicted expression. She was clearly doing this to prevent a larger confrontation.
“No one will die, I swear…” Jason’s words were sincere. Then he looked over at Bob, who nodded and handed a notebook to Amanda so she could write the names down.
After a while, Amanda handed him the list, and with a quick glance, Jason passed the paper to Bob so he could notify the people outside the prison to deal with the dangerous individuals immediately.
A bit later, Dawn and Lamson entered the room, looking around with mildly curious expressions. They immediately looked at Amanda, and when she nodded, they stepped inside and sat down across from Jason.
“We’re sorry for the wait. We had to check whether we should trust your words. Nowadays, many people have strayed, and if we want everyone here to be okay, we need to think things through,” Dawn said with a somewhat unfriendly smile.
“Hmm, I understand…” Jason glanced at the door and then said, “I’m really sorry, but I need to go to the bathroom—last night’s meal must be messing with my stomach…”
“Hahaha!” Merle’s raspy laugh burst from the corner of the room.
Unable to refuse, Dawn nodded and said, “The bathrooms are still working. Lamson will show you the way.”
After standing up, Jason walked toward the door with Lamson following him. Once outside, Jason said, “No need to escort me, just tell me where it is.”
“Yeah, all the way down and then turn right,” Lamson said without thinking too much.
“Thanks. I’ll be right back…”
After speaking, Jason reached out to shake Lamson’s hand and then walked ahead. With slow steps, he headed down the hallway toward the bathroom; Lamson, a little hesitant, followed far behind.
Jason walked without concern, but a woman’s scream suddenly made him stop in his tracks; the screams came from a room right next to the one he was passing.
He had suspected it—those eyes of the handcuffed officer were demonic, and if the cops here were all in on what was happening, they’d definitely let him go. What was happening now was no surprise.
Jason turned and opened the door without hesitation. Long before Lamson could stop him, Jason had already stepped into the room—and what he didn’t see was the cold look on Jason’s face.
As the door swung open, a loud cry echoed down the hallways. A woman’s scream caused many people to rush out of their rooms and look toward where it came from. Many of the officers seemed familiar, but their faces were now pale.
In the room where Dawn had been, the commotion was also heard. At that moment, she opened the door, and when she turned her head, all she saw was Lamson running toward a room, and her heart skipped a beat.
She immediately felt that something wasn’t right and rushed out of the room as well.
Merle and Bob exchanged looks. After pulling out the radio and informing the people outside, Bob turned to Amanda and said, “Sweetheart, if you want to avoid bloodshed, you’d better support us on this.”
When Amanda heard this, she nodded and ran with them toward the exit. As soon as Dawn entered the room, she was horrified by the scene.
Jason was on top of a man named Licari, his fists slamming into the man’s face over and over. Meanwhile, Lamson tried to pull Jason off, but his efforts were in vain. In the corner of the room, a disheveled woman cried as she curled into herself.
Dawn didn’t need to ask what had happened. But forced to act, she drew her weapon and pointed it at Jason while shouting, “Stop! Or I’ll shoot you!”
Jason turned slightly, his expression filled with rage, and said to Dawn, “You better look behind you!”
