"I need a doctor! Help!"
Jason closed his eyes, trying to keep his patience as he watched Merle's behavior beside him. At first, he had considered not bringing him along—at least not during the initial talks with these people—but you always need someone unpredictable to distract your opponent.
"Ah! Damn, isn't this supposed to be a public hospital? Help, I feel so drugged..." Merle clung to a metal pipe while sticking his tongue out between the gaps.
Bob, who was to his right, looked at him as if he were genuinely sick. Truth be told, who wouldn't be these days, with walkers roaming the streets?
Bang!
At that moment, shortly after Jason spoke and Merle started shouting, Dawn came running out of the hospital's main entrance, followed by nearly a dozen officers. In an instant, about ten of them raised their weapons at the sight of a man sticking out his tongue like a dog, a dark-skinned man with an embarrassed expression, and another with his eyes closed—all standing right outside the entrance.
At first glance, the man with closed eyes seemed the calmest and most composed of the three, so they assumed he was the leader. When he opened his eyes, he looked at the officers pointing their guns at him without showing the slightest trace of tension in his indifferent gaze.
"Oh! Easy there, officers. I think it's time I introduce myself… I'm Jason, commander of the army operating in Atlanta. Come on now, no need to be so nervous. Don't I look friendly enough?"
Dawn looked at Jason. Her eyes ran over his uniform, which clearly belonged to the military, but she didn't want to show any emotion upon meeting a soldier. First, she looked at those accompanying her, then slowly walked toward the man calling himself Jason.
"Oh, you and I could have a much deeper relationship!" said Merle, stepping to the side and throwing a cynical grin at Dawn, the tough-looking woman.
Jason's eyes widened at the thought of Merle with that policewoman. That would definitely be an explosive relationship. Paying Merle no further attention, he focused on Dawn.
There was no hesitation on Dawn's face. She walked up to the three men who claimed to be from the military, and though she heard Merle's annoying comments, she didn't want to act rashly without verifying their identities. Her tone was respectful but slightly doubtful.
"Are you really from the military?" Dawn shifted her gaze to Merle, who grinned at her, showing his yellowed teeth, then looked back at Jason. "How can I know what you're saying is true?"
"From your uniform, I gather you're a police officer, and since we're now talking, I also assume you're in charge of keeping this place safe, along with the people under your command..." Jason gestured toward the officers and offered a small bow. "Am I right?"
Dawn stared silently. She had to admit the man was very observant and seemed to always remain in control, so she stepped back and said, "My apologies, Commander. My name is Dawn Lerner. I never thought I'd meet such a young commander."
At the remark, Jason gave a modest smile and replied:
"Well, with the chain of command collapsed, someone had to take control of the situation. We're currently reclaiming the areas around Atlanta..."
Jason was in no hurry to enter the hospital; his words were clear and befitting of a commander. And indeed, he was. He was also the leader of the S.C.T. community.
"You may be confused. I heard the largest hospital in Atlanta and Georgia had ended up in the hands of some police officers. My people plan to take control of the area around this facility, considering how well-equipped it is."
"But we probably shouldn't talk about this out here, should we? We brought some food and basic supplies so you can recover while we talk about what's going to happen next."
After saying this, under everyone's watchful eyes, he made a few hand gestures to indicate they should follow. A bit hesitant, some people began to walk with Jason and his group. Then Jason looked at Bob, who understood immediately, stepped forward, and banged on the modified RV's hatch. With a sharp clang, the door opened, revealing what was inside.
All sorts of food, medicine, and water. All of it collected during their journey. They had their own supplies, so there was no issue in giving this to the people at the hospital. After all, they would soon become members of the S.C.T. community.
Several officers approached, astonished, eager to step forward and grab the goods. These basic supplies were exactly what they desperately needed, especially now that resources were getting harder to find in Atlanta. This stockpile was a godsend.
Jason easily noticed the glint of greed in their eyes. It was normal for any survivor nowadays. He paid it no mind and said:
"For now, you can take these supplies as support from us. If you're stationed here, you've probably noticed a shelter being set up not far from here. Everyone there is part of my community, which we're currently protecting, and we're not lacking in any basic needs."
Walkers!
At that moment, Jason turned his gaze and saw a walker slowly approaching in the distance. Sensing the nervous glances, he extended his hand, pointing at the walker. The officers thought he was making strange gestures, but the next second, the walker's head exploded, and a cloud of dark blood dispersed into the air.
The shot echoed through the buildings, and everyone ducked or looked around, trying to see where it came from. But it was pointless.
"Wow, hell of a shot," said Merle, grinning at the officers. They now looked at Jason with evident fear.
Jason pressed a button on his chest and said,
"Nice shot, Jon! That was impressive!"
"It was Sasha, sir..." a voice responded over the radio.
Sasha was learning quickly. Under Jon Seda's guidance, she would become a great sniper. Jason raised his hands to calm everyone. "Well, we've been standing here for a while. Wouldn't it be better to talk inside the hospital while your people unload the supplies?"
Unlike the others, Dawn's face was grim. For her, restocking supplies wasn't the main issue. The people in front of her were definitely military—but she still wasn't sure whether they were good or bad.
"You're right. Staying outside too long can be exhausting. Let's go inside," Dawn finally said after thinking it through.
"We'll follow you, Dawn. We'll be attentive to your needs." Jason stepped forward, followed by Merle and Bob.
The officers made their way toward the supplies and found Glenn, wearing sunglasses, watching them with a smile. They smiled back and greeted him before getting to work.
Meanwhile, in a building hundreds of meters away, Daryl's group began to move when they realized there were no attacks. According to the plan, they were to meet with Glenn and be ready to provide backup if needed.
Some of them quickly moved through buildings and arrived at the modified RV, while others cleared the approaching walkers.
"Is everyone okay? I just heard gunshots!" Tyreese stood atop the RV and looked down at his teammates.
Sasha shook her head, patted him on the back, and said, "We're fine, no injuries!"
While the group gathered, waiting for new orders, the trio had already entered the hospital.
Jason, following Officer Dawn, observed everything around him. At every step, he analyzed the situation and greeted those who realized they were military.
Dawn, not wanting to lose control, picked up the pace, but no matter how many times she tried to hurry them, the trio did not quicken their steps.
"Here you go! A big sweet lollipop, you can keep it," said Merle with a wide grin.
"Thanks, grandpa..." murmured a little girl, looking at him with teary eyes.
"Hmph, damn kid..." Merle grumbled, annoyed at being called grandpa.
Finally, when they reached a room that looked like a conference room, Dawn opened the door and found a patient in a hospital gown cleaning the room.
She looked at the patient, then shook her head toward the hallway, signaling for her to leave quickly. The woman quickly gathered the tools from the floor and walked out.
As she passed by everyone, she looked at Jason in surprise—they were clearly soldiers—but then glanced at the police officers and left without saying a word.
Seeing her waste time, Dawn couldn't help but scold her loudly: "Listen to me! Why are you wasting our time?"