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🕑 Added 2025-05-10 04:16:41 +0000 UTCA New Beginning From the End of the World
Chapter 130 – Who Locked the Hospital?
When Jason saw the thin figure, he was surprised to recognize the person trying to force the door open—it was none other than Noah.
At that very moment, Noah was using a piece of rebar to try and break the lock, but all his attempts failed. Once Jason’s sharp eyes confirmed that the other person was unarmed, he slowly stepped out from the corner and began approaching him carefully.
“Need a hand, friend?”
Startled by the sudden voice, Noah began to tremble. When he turned around, he saw a figure well-hidden in the shadows.
Realizing he wasn’t alone in this place, Noah felt slightly relieved, but he still raised his knife slightly, fixed his eyes on Jason, and asked, “Who are you, and what do you want?”
Noah’s first thoughts were to assess whether this stranger was alone. If he was here to rob him, there might still be a chance to defend himself. As long as he stood his ground, he might be able to keep the guy at bay.
However, just as Noah was about to say something to the stranger, he saw others emerging behind Jason. Jason’s entire group was armed with rifles, pistols, and crossbows—each one looking so well-equipped that it was terrifying.
The moment he saw them all, Noah froze in place. The knife in his hand gave him no sense of security in this situation. Making the smartest choice he could, Noah dropped the knife to the floor, raised his hands in surrender, and slowly approached the group.
“My weapons are on the ground. Please believe me when I say I mean no harm. I just came looking for supplies, and I was just about to leave!”
Daryl didn’t waste any time. He moved to Noah’s left, his sharp gaze locked onto him. He still remembered when he and Jason had been tricked while trying to save someone who had made a mistake.
Knowing better than to trust strangers too easily now, Daryl walked up behind Noah and pointed his crossbow at him before saying, “Don’t move.”
Feeling someone behind him, Noah thought that this was truly a terrible day to try escaping the hospital. Meanwhile, Jason studied the boy—who clearly shouldn’t be here at this time. How had he managed to escape without Beth?
More importantly, this was long before Rick’s group arrived and made contact with the hospital. Jason knew he’d have to consider those details later. For now, he focused on the present, as Daryl had Noah under control, and once again locked eyes with the boy.
“I’m sorry our first meeting had to be like this, but the last time we were kind to strangers, one of us almost ended up with a knife in the chest.” Jason holstered his pistol and asked, “Can I have your name?”
Noah, who seemed to have accepted that he had little choice at this point, lowered his head a bit and answered in a weak voice, “I understand… my name is Noah.”
Hearing this, Jason nodded and asked, “Hi Noah, I’m Jason. Can I ask what you’re doing here? I don’t know if you’re aware, but my people have a shelter less than three miles from here. Do you have any connection to the people in the hospital?”
When he heard the word “hospital,” Noah glanced at Jason and asked cautiously, “Can I ask what your connection is to the hospital first?”
Jason, not bothered by the question, replied, “Well, right now, our community’s goal is to lay low and take in more survivors. You could say we’re a scouting group. Today, as one of our first objectives, we came to this hospital to see what’s going on.”
Noah, who felt Jason was being honest, relaxed slightly upon learning they were part of a larger refuge and responded, “It’s true there’s a group of survivors in that hospital. They’re all led by a woman named Dawn Lerner. If I remember correctly, there are about a dozen cops—no more, no less—and every one of them is armed.”
“Hm, they brought me to this place about four months ago. I came to this city with my father to look for my uncle. We had a terrible accident, but luckily those people saved us. I was happy at the time, but that woman decided not to help my father because he was ‘too much trouble.’”
“After my father died and I recovered from my injuries, they forced me to work to pay off the ‘favor’ they’d done for me.” At this point, Noah clenched his fists with hatred.
Jon suddenly asked, “So you escaped from the hospital?”
Noah nodded and then pleaded, “I’ve told you everything you wanted to know. By now, they’ve probably sent someone to look for me. Please… can you let me go?”
“Heh, and where exactly do you plan to go these days?” Daryl lowered his crossbow and asked in a slightly hoarse voice.
When Daryl heard the question, Noah showed an expression of longing: “Shirewilt Estates! Well, that’s where I lived before coming to Atlanta. The place is in Richmond, Virginia. There were big walls there before I came here!”
Daryl suddenly scoffed. For some reason, when he heard Noah’s words, he imagined a small cardboard wall, then thought of the massive wall at the base. When he looked at Noah’s face, it felt strange—but in the end, he held back his laughter.
But when the rest of the group heard Daryl’s laugh, their expressions turned to disbelief. Then George, who was standing in front, was the first to burst out laughing. Strangely, it triggered a chain reaction, and everyone started laughing.
At that moment, Daryl also looked like he wanted to laugh but was still holding it in. As soon as the corners of his mouth twitched, he pretended to cover his mouth and cough, stifling the laugh.
Noah stared at the group, baffled by their laughter, not understanding what he had said wrong. Merle, who had shown up at some unknown moment, scoffed and shouted, “You're such an amazing kid—Carlos will definitely take you in as a brother.”
“Ahem! Stay alert, everyone!”
Jason felt a bit embarrassed by everyone’s behavior. After a moment, they all stopped laughing. Daryl gave a signal, and everyone turned and began to exit the room.
Noah took the liberty of asking, “What’s wrong? Did I say something bad?”
“Well, maybe Daryl’s laugh is just contagious... Anyway, we might be heading toward Virginia too once we secure this place. You could come with us, but you should know in advance—we’ll be making a lot of stops.”
Seeing Noah fall silent, Jason added, “Of course, it’s up to you. Hmm... not right now, but maybe someone will have questions for you later. Only after answering them will the group decide whether to take you along or not.”
Although Jason had seen a lot in his life, Noah was still just a kid. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t become a great man and leader someday.
Along with the sense of security brought by the military uniforms worn by Jason and the others, the hesitant Noah nodded.
When Jason asked Noah for a detailed list of the other group's members, he changed the subject and decided not to stay there any longer. He asked Noah to follow him.
After a brief chat, Jason said, “Now that we know everything we need to, it’s time to pay a visit to our friends!”
…
A modified RV, painted in a very unique color, cruised through the streets of Atlanta. The vehicle’s exaggerated appearance was eye-catching, but at this point, the streets were lifeless—nothing but walkers around.
Glenn, who was driving this time, pressed the accelerator enthusiastically. The RV’s weight, size, reinforced frame, and structure allowed it to plow through the walkers without difficulty, tearing them apart.
Jason, who felt like he was watching a video game, looked at Glenn—smiling wide as he drove—and couldn’t help saying, “Dominic Toretto, don’t get too excited. Don’t forget we’ll have to clean the truck’s exterior afterward.”
Glenn froze instantly, as if doused with cold water. Thinking about the walkers splattered all over the tires and outside of the RV made him shudder.
By then, the hospital had already noticed the vehicle approaching the road. When the officers saw the vehicle parked in front of the hospital, they all drew their weapons and ran downstairs in a panic.
A group of officers rushed to the entrance of the first floor and saw three people getting out of the modified RV—all of them wearing patches and bandanas with the S.C.T. symbol, combat vests, black tactical uniforms, rows of magazines strapped across their chests, M4 rifles slung across their backs, pistols at their waists, and one Black man holding a shoebox in his hands.
Their impressive gear left the police speechless. In fact, the police were decently equipped—but they couldn’t keep up with the ammo shortage anymore. Many of their weapons were practically useless now. The most commonly used weapons among the officers were handguns and a few shotguns.
The three people who got out of the vehicle drew their weapons quickly, and with a few swift movements, took down several walkers.
Then one of the men spoke with a raspy voice: “Who the fuck locked up the hospital?”
