Prison in Western Georgia
In a forest on the outskirts of the S.C.T. community's central base.
A man, covered in ragged clothes, blood dripping from his limbs, and pieces of human flesh hanging from his body, walked slowly through the dense forest. He wore a mask to prevent infection and was over two hundred meters away from the new constructions being built at the prison.
A red bandana with the letters "ST-1" was tied near his left shoulder. These initials stood for "Scouting Troops," a new system established by the S.C.T. community to keep eyes on distant areas beyond the main facilities.
There were no more than three squads, each consisting of fifteen members. It's safe to say not everyone is prepared to walk among walkers, drenched in blood.
These squads are made up of slow, skilled, and observant individuals. Unlike the "Assault Troops" (AT), this group is tasked only with moving among walkers and reporting any activity around the area.
Only in special circumstances do the men of the ST squads take immediate action. This time, Erick was leading a squad deployed to the west. His sole mission was to report any anomalies to the central base. It could be considered an easy job, since no walker could detect them.
"We're heading back to the central base, our shift is almost over!" —Erick said just before lowering the radio.
"Zz... Copy that, Captain. Moving toward the rendezvous point."
In the dense forest, Erick put away the radio and smiled in relief. Another day had passed without any casualties in his squad, leaving him with a good feeling. But just as he turned around, the sound of snapping branches caught his attention.
"Just a walker..." —Erick murmured as he began to turn, but then the sounds grew louder and more intense.
Realizing this was out of the ordinary, he stepped to the side and looked past a bush, where numerous figures began emerging one after another. When Erick saw this, he immediately turned on his radio and reported: "ST-1 squad, turn off your radios and return to the central base immediately. Code Blue."
As he spoke, Erick glanced at the growing number of walkers pouring from the bushes. He still couldn't believe how they had gotten so close without being detected. He knew the trees had blocked his view, but that was his mistake—and now there was little he could do.
The figures passed by Erick in no time, and before he could move, he was surrounded by walkers within seconds. This would be his longest journey yet. He was still a considerable distance from the prison, but now found himself defenseless.
At least he had informed his squad, so he was confident someone would report the situation to the central base.
If Jason were present at that moment, seeing those walkers surrounding Erick, he would secretly admit that not even in Atlanta had he seen himself at the center of such a massive horde.
"Zz... Sir, what's the situation?"
Sweating cold, Erick lowered the radio's volume, and seeing the walkers grow tense, decided to turn it off. With no communication, his only option now was to find a thick tree to avoid being dragged by the swarm.
Not to mention the number of walkers heading toward the prison—whether twenty or thirty thousand, they were spreading across both sides and moving directly toward the main gate of the central base.
Of course, Erick had no knowledge of the new constructions taking place outside the prison. With all the changes and advancements since Jason had left, the second wall surrounding the base was under construction, and the wire fences protecting the crops had been removed.
The goal this time was to expand the walls significantly to increase farming land and build large structures for livestock. This would allow for the relocation of livestock from the base interior and the gradual reconstruction of all prison structures to a higher standard.
The prison's evolution was known as "Growth Phase Two." Now that they were receiving resources from central Atlanta and surrounding areas, with more manpower and soldiers, expanding the base this way was no longer just a dream.
And all of this was now under threat due to the walker horde approaching the prison. If the walkers reached the crops, they would destroy months of work and tons of food. This time, silence wouldn't be enough to avoid the threat.
…
"Inform central base: a walker horde is approaching the main gate and is only nine hundred meters away! We've lost contact with the captain, so he must have been caught in the middle of the horde."
Through a pair of binoculars, a man observed the massive horde advancing toward the prison from the front, right where the crops were located.
Soon, some members of ST-1 squad began climbing tall trees to avoid being swept away by the walkers, while simultaneously reporting the situation to the prison.
"Zz... This is ST-1 squad. We have a serious situation. At seven hundred meters, a horde of approximately forty thousand infected is heading toward the prison. We can't move—we had no warning before they appeared."
"Zz... Repeat the walker count."
"Zz... Central, approximately forty thousand walkers."
…
Earlier that morning, before the report came in—one week after the elders arrived from Atlanta to the prison.
Several important figures such as squad captains, trainers, and project leaders were gathered in the meeting room.
"I just met with Elder Richard, and he gave me some suggestions regarding the weapons and said walkers won't be a serious threat in the future. By the way, how's Jason doing?" Corporal Rayan, seated to the side, looked at Rick, who was holding a document.
While handing out the papers, Rick couldn't help but feel like Jason and smiled ironically. After distributing the documents, he replied: "The last time he checked in with the base in Atlanta, he said he was heading to Virginia. According to his plans, he'll return in less than half a year—he doesn't intend to stay away long."
Morgan nodded and then said, "Honestly, I don't know what Jason is thinking anymore. He's leading a major base far from the cities, where there's farmland. I once tried to tell him that taking such risks wasn't wise, but now even I am going out to gather supplies."
"My opinion is clearer. Commander Jason is doing the right thing. It's important to move around and help others, just like our community has done until now. It's also important to learn more about the world. Anything can happen these days. If God wills it, there'll be no need to relocate to another base—or vice versa."
It turned out that this time, it was Sergeant Welles who spoke—the pilot who had once been rescued.
Hershel looked a bit skeptical. He pointed at the walls on a model at the center of the room and said, "You're suggesting something could go wrong here? That would be very strange. Not even tanks could easily get through these strong base walls."
Welles sighed bitterly and said, "Yes… I thought the same thing. But I didn't consider an internal infection… or hordes of the infected..."
"Alright, let's stop talking about things we don't want to happen. Let's focus on the expansion plans and what we need to prioritize! Today, we finished preparing the ground to begin work on the walls." —Rick interrupted the somber discussion and shook the papers in his hand.
"Okay, I think the ideas are good, but we need to consider the water supply issue to keep the crops in optimal condition. I believe the walls are crucial to keep the walkers from ruining or disrupting everyone's work..."
…
Rick also reviewed what would be most effective and how to proceed in the coming days, considering other useful ideas.
Morgan held onto the paper from start to finish and then said, "I'd like to add that rebuilding the outer wall isn't a problem—but I think the crops and livestock should be moved a bit farther out."
"Yes, we need to consider other factors. That's why the plans have multiple directions, and right now our top priority should be the defenses." When an architect heard Morgan's words, he presented several construction blueprints.