After eliminating all the enemies, Jason took his weapon and walked around, surveying the aftermath. He pulled an old rag from his pocket and wiped the blood off his knife, then discarded the rag and walked toward Elias, who was examining the corpses on the ground.
Regarding what had just happened, Jason hadn't expected such a chaotic outcome while Rick and he were away from the shelter. He recalled something from earlier and realized that this had also happened to Rick, but he hadn't anticipated that things would drag on for so long.
At the very least, the situation hadn't escalated further. Some people don't understand the risks of leaving the shelter if they lack combat skills. Therefore, he now had to be much more careful about whom he allowed into his community.
If these people hadn't attacked Shane's group and the others who had ambushed him in Atlanta, he would have thought he still had more time to gather people without much trouble. But now, everything was no longer as he had imagined just a day ago.
Jason didn't want to eliminate his enemies in such a cruel manner, but if people didn't understand how harsh the world would become, they would continue to believe it was still kind.
Judging by what he saw, the people he had just killed didn't have much with them, and they had likely been searching for supplies on the outskirts of this small town. Additionally, the chances of them being connected to others were very low. As long as he and his group moved carefully, there wouldn't be any problems, even if they encountered enemies.
Not long after everything was settled, Jason and the others got into the newly acquired trucks and cars. As for Jimmy's corpse, it was carefully secured and loaded onto a supply truck. Of course, someone made sure he wouldn't turn into a walker soon after, as that would cause problems for everyone.
The most affected by his death was Beth. Apparently, that boy had been her boyfriend, and watching him die so suddenly was hard for her to accept. And considering that it was partly her father's fault, it filled her with guilt-ridden thoughts.
After stepping aside, Jason looked at the large convoy of vehicles and trucks. Without a doubt, this trip had been too turbulent, so now he wanted to see how the prison was doing.
When Elias approached Jason, he looked into the distance and said, "It seems these people aren't worth paying attention to. What should we do?"
"Even the smallest stone can cause significant damage," Jason replied. He didn't want to say more on the matter and instead walked toward the bus to check that everything was in order.
"It looks like you found more survivors—that's good," Shane said as he approached the back of the convoy.
Jason wasn't sure when Shane had stepped up beside him. It must have been tough for Shane to keep things under control this time, so Jason felt that this experience would be useful for them.
"The journey back was tough. We encountered many problems, but I'm relieved that we're all together again." Jason had been feeling anxious about what was happening to the group in this place—after all, it was something he hadn't expected.
Given everything that had happened, Jason turned slightly, looked at Shane, and asked, "I don't know what challenges you faced, but can you explain what you were doing here?"
Even though Jason had the best intentions in asking this, Shane didn't see it that way and responded, "Lori wanted to go out and look for Rick. She had a crisis and thought it was the right thing to do. But thanks to that, we spotted the horde of walkers and managed to rescue Hershel and his family."
Watching the soldiers moving back and forth, Jason silently nodded at the explanation. Since he had interfered significantly with the course of many people's stories, it was no surprise that events had unfolded differently.
However, that wasn't something he cared much about now. He had to act in his own way and handle things with greater caution. These might seem like small matters, but they were factors he would consider in his future decisions.
Seeing this, Jason didn't hesitate any longer and said, "We need to return to the prison. Things seem stable on our end, but our people are very on edge. The newcomers need to adapt to life there."
"Yeah, I'll let the others know," Shane said, understanding Jason's point.
"Alright, let's go home," Jason said in a deep voice. His gaze swept over everyone, and he nodded in approval upon seeing that they were all fine. He had no intention of staying in this place any longer.
As for the backpacks and weapons of those who had attacked Shane's group, Jason watched as some soldiers loaded them onto a military truck before boarding themselves and waiting for the others. Every little thing mattered when it came to survival. Maybe no one understood that now, but in time, everyone would.
The convoy moved slowly through the streets, took a detour, and returned to the prison. Since the bus was full, Jason got into a relatively empty truck along with the others.
"Were you injured?" Glenn looked at Jason with curiosity and noticed the bandage slightly stained with blood. He glanced at Jason, then at Rick beside him, and asked in a surprised voice.
Jason, being a good leader and an experienced former soldier, was someone Glenn knew was highly capable. Seeing him injured now meant that the group returning from Atlanta hadn't had an easy journey.
"Well, we were ambushed by a group of people near this area. After repelling the attack, we went back to their refuge and rescued some people who were their prisoners," Rick said in a somewhat calm voice.
The convoy moved slowly, and everyone in the truck with Jason and the others looked at him with some surprise. They must have gone through difficult situations, just like in this place.
After a while, the sound of sirens from the CDC suddenly stopped, followed by a distant explosion. At that moment, everyone knew that the detonation had taken out numerous walkers surrounding the area.
Everyone then fell silent upon seeing each other's expressions. The people who had gone with Jason were in other trucks, while those beside him were new members of the community.
The atmosphere in the back of the truck was extremely oppressive. Except for Rick and Daryl, everyone's faces were pale. Finally, Lori broke the silence again and said, "Rick, could we find a better place than the prison?"
Rick had also noticed that everyone's expressions were grim, but Lori's words surprised everyone. "Why do you say that?"
Lori's expression tightened, and she said in a raised tone, "Why? Didn't you see how he killed all those people? How can he act normally after doing that and even sleep peacefully? I don't want to stay in a place led by a murderer!"
Jason, who was sitting in the corner of the truck bed, overheard the conversation but chose to remain silent. He knew that Lori feared her husband was slowly becoming like Shane, and now he was definitely being considered in that discussion.
"Be more rational, Lori! Don't you know why he killed them? I would have done the same. No one can guarantee that those bastards wouldn't come back for us with more people and more weapons." Rick understood his wife's concerns, but now that she had made this conversation public, he knew that Jason and everyone else were simply trying to survive.
No one in this world would remain good for long, which was precisely why he had participated in the rescue of the kidnapped soldiers.
Glenn, who was in front of Rick and Lori, suddenly spoke with a strange expression, "What right do you have to blame Jason like that? You were the one who left the prison and caused this whole mess. It's hard to say, but if we need to blame someone, we should be clear about it. Is that wrong?"
After speaking, Glenn shook his head. He couldn't understand the mindset of many people in this truck, starting with Lori. Maybe she was just in shock from everything that had happened...
Lori didn't get a chance to respond. Rick, who had just heard this, immediately asked a question. He had only been told that Lori and the others had been attacked by strangers—he didn't know his wife had run away.
"What did you do, Lori? Did you escape and leave Carl alone?"
"I needed to find you!" Lori said those words with a dazed expression, then turned her head away and said nothing more.
Rick's expression filled with disbelief, and then he scolded her in a low voice, "Have you lost your mind? I can't believe you thought it was a good idea to go looking for me on your own. Didn't I tell you I'd be back as soon as possible? What were you thinking?"
Seeing that Lori still didn't respond, Rick lost his temper and said in a low voice, "Say something!"
Lori suddenly turned around, looked at Rick with clenched teeth, and said, "Because I'm pregnant!"
When Jason thought about it, he glanced at Shane, hoping he wouldn't have to deal with the growing hostility between the two men.