When Karen left the emergency meeting, Jason observed everyone with calmness. He took a few seconds to organize his thoughts, then spoke with a firm voice: "I know what you're thinking... Too many risks, right?"
Jason paused, scanning each face of the prison's inner leaders, wanting to see what the gaze of his military subordinates now in Atlanta conveyed: "I wouldn't mind going right now to Woodbury and eliminating all our enemies with our weaponry. We could do it quickly, without much hassle. But taking that route would make us act just like that Governor, and believe me... I want to forge a different path, one where humanity can be reborn."
After saying that, Jason slowly stood up. His cold, calculating gaze swept the room with a natural authority that commanded respect. "I don't like making mistakes. That's why we'll kill them when they're locked up. There won't be any possibility of escape. That's how we'll solve the problem cleanly and definitively."
Daryl and Rick exchanged a look, understanding clearly what Jason was proposing. It was true that they could send two helicopters and five tanks from the refuge to wipe out their enemies… But what else would come from those actions besides death and chaos?
Jason's plan seemed almost foolproof. Since they met him, he had always confronted his enemies with a firm hand and no mercy. However, he also knew how to offer second chances to those who could still redeem themselves, as was the case with Merle.
"I have no problem, buddy." Shane said, getting up before heading to his room. "Tomorrow, we'll kill all those bastards."
"Marco and I will be ready." Tommy said, smiling. "As planned, Elías will lead the sniper team. I'll move through the south, and Marco will cover us from the north. It'll be a total clean-up."
With that, Tommy also left.
"You keep complicating things too much by trying to save everyone..." Merle said with his usual cynical tone. "One day, you'll understand that you can't save them all, and the ones you save might secretly attack you and catch you off guard."
He then left, making it clear that the following day at the prison would be very busy.
Jason remained silent, watching everyone leave. When he was finally alone, he gave a faint smile and shook his head. He was determined to eliminate all his enemies, but he didn't want to spill innocent blood.
The refuge in Atlanta was still one of the safest places. There, he had trained a group of seventy people, teaching them how to deal with walkers, how to contain a possible internal infection outbreak, and the most efficient ways to survive a horde.
On his whiteboard, Jason had a detailed map of the country with various points marked. Near the border with Mexico, there was a question mark and the name "Alice" written beside it. From their last conversation, she had told him she was at a military base… But Jason knew that the military wasn't always trustworthy, and her fate was uncertain.
"If I have time... I'll definitely rescue you." Jason murmured to himself.
Few know the true terror of war. Jason did. And he knew that sooner or later, he would play with his prey. He himself would take care of the Governor… and then, everyone would see the result of his plan.
…
At that moment, the Governor was traveling in a moving car, leading a caravan of several combat-modified trucks. Some had steel plates welded to their sides and front, designed to withstand impacts. Each vehicle was occupied by heavily armed men. Their destination was clear: the prison.
That very morning, he had received another message from Karen. She informed him that a group of more than a dozen people had left the prison heading to the city, apparently in search of resources. In other words, the defenders had been reduced by half. The prison had just over twenty combatants, and now at least twelve were gone.
When the Governor received the news, excitement struck him immediately. He stood up without a second thought and began mobilizing his people for a surprise attack. He managed to gather a little over fifty men. The numerical advantage filled him with confidence. He was convinced that he could take the prison in one swift blow and claim it as his own.
Imagining the victory, a cruel smile curled at the corners of his lips. Even the driver, sitting next to him, swallowed nervously upon noticing the expression on his face.
For this operation, the Governor had prepared everything in detail. Among his provisions were two ladders over ten meters tall to scale the walls, and several modified vehicles with metal plates to facilitate entry and exit.
Of course, he didn't really care about the lives of his men. But at least for now, he needed them to help him conquer the prison. So he was willing to "look after" his soldiers… At least temporarily.
The convoy advanced along the south side of the forest. To avoid detection, the Governor had sent a scout the night before to monitor the attack area. So far, there had been no reports of movement, which reinforced the idea that the enemy didn't have reinforcements watching that sector.
Confident, the Governor decided not to take alternate routes. This time, he went straight for the main road leading to the prison, leading a dozen armored vehicles.
The intersection with the entrance road wasn't far. After just two minutes of travel, the vehicles had reached the prison's entrance.
From his car, the Governor surveyed the perimeter. He saw the wire fences surrounding the exterior, but no one was visible on the inner walls. It was as if the place was completely unprotected. He smiled maliciously. It felt like fate was handing him that base.
"Don't stop! Floor it and smash through the damn door!" He shouted with restrained fury.
The driver, seeing the madness in the Governor's eyes, turned his gaze forward and obeyed. At the same time, the Governor released the safety on his weapon, ready for battle.
With the force of impact, the wire door immediately gave way and swung violently open. The Governor's vehicle roared like a beast set free, driving through the exterior perimeter without stopping. His goal was clear: to charge through the inner door and take the prison completely before his enemies could react.
But there was something he hadn't anticipated. And what would happen next… Wasn't in his calculations.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At that moment, the prison guards finally began shooting at the vehicle leading the attacking convoy.
The Governor's car windshield was pierced in seconds by a hail of bullets. The driver's head exploded like a watermelon after being hit directly by a sniper.
Seeing this, the Governor quickly leaned over to the driver's seat and grabbed the wheel. Even though his driver was already dead, the vehicle continued moving out of control. The Governor tried to stabilize it, but the car made a sharp turn and crashed into a wall.
Boom!
With a loud crash, the car came to a complete stop. Without wasting time, the Governor opened the door and jumped nimbly out of the vehicle. Although his initial plan hadn't gone as he had intended, he could still adapt to the situation and get the desired result.
As his car drew most of the enemy's fire, the vehicles behind took advantage of the distraction to advance and position themselves on the sides, aligning in formation.
The men in the trucks, some of whom hadn't even reached the wall, took cover behind the vehicles. Those who had already jumped to the ground took cover in the rear, and after making sure they weren't under direct fire, they began pushing the vehicles to use them as mobile barriers.
The Governor, a born strategist, already knew that advancing head-on would be nearly impossible, so he devised a plan to use the cars as shields to reach the inner wall. Once there, they would only need to scale it to gain the advantage from within.
As for the potential casualties, it was not something that kept him up at night. To him, as long as he was alive, he could always recruit more people and launch another attack on the prison.
Sticking to the shadows, without directly looking at the enemies firing at his convoy, the Governor raised his voice with authority:
"Attack! Kill them all!"
"Martínez, take your group to the prison wall!"
The order was clear. Everyone moved forward with determination, and in no time, they reached the inner wall. To the Governor's surprise, there was no immediate counterattack. He had assumed the defenders would resist with everything they had, but advancing turned out to be much easier than expected.
When they were close enough to the wall, the Governor ordered them to stop and began organizing a defensive line. Martínez also began moving his squad to scale the wall.
Just about to start the climb amid the gunfire, the Governor took a megaphone and spoke in a firm, authoritative, and perfectly projected voice:
"Listen, all survivors of this base! You are surrounded! Drop your weapons and surrender. If you do, we will not harm you."
He repeated his message over and over, without showing any hurry or nervousness. From his position, he calmly watched as Martínez prepared to advance. He was sure that, even if no one surrendered, he would take the base by force.
From his point of view, the prison defenders were inept, wasting an excellent fortification without knowing how to defend it. All they needed was for his group to breach the wall; not everyone was ready to advance, but with a few brave men, it would be enough to tip the scales.
The Governor noticed that the few resistance forces that had faced him head-on had completely stopped. He suspected this could only mean one thing: a severe shortage of ammunition. That assumption made his expression grow increasingly arrogant.
Without raising suspicion, he discreetly signaled Martínez to begin the advance toward the wall while continuing his attempts to persuade the defenders to surrender. Meanwhile, more than half of his men stayed covered, watching for any movement at the inner gate of the base.
Martínez, taking advantage of the sudden silence in the gunfire, led the main force from Woodbury forward. He knew that, for an operation like this, it was crucial to have experienced people, skilled with weapons and with good aim.
Within minutes, the Governor watched with satisfaction as about thirty people began surrounding the corners of the base. His smile was evident: the plan was progressing successfully. Now, all that remained was for the enemies to surrender. If they didn't, Martínez would eliminate them without mercy.
One of Martínez's groups managed to place ladders at the corners of the wall. When they climbed, they discovered that the interior of the prison appeared to be empty. Without losing a second, Martínez made quick hand gestures, signaling his people to disperse and advance in multiple directions.
The invaders quickly deployed, taking up strategic positions along the wall. They aligned, aiming their weapons at each of the entrances and exits of the inner courtyard, ready to shoot at the slightest movement.
But what none of them knew was that hidden at the back of the watchtowers and atop the trees, a dozen snipers were waiting silently. They were ready to follow a single order: eliminate the enemy without mercy.
"They're all dead..." Jason murmured with a cold smile on his face, as if he could already taste victory, unaware that he was about to fall into a deadly trap.