The person who came to open the gate was Nathanael. He looked worried.

Jonathan noticed this and asked him as soon as he got close, "What happened?''

Nathanael opened the gate for everyone to enter, " We didn't hear from you on the phone... Samantha and Eve were going crazy with worry.''

Jonathan sighed. He had expected this, "If what I'm thinking is right, the Internet finally stopped working.''

Which was already expected. It was a miracle that it kept going for so long. Usually, the Internet would need constant monitoring, but with the zombie apocalypse going on, nobody was doing that. Or they were since the Internet has lasted so long, but then something happened and no one is monitoring anymore.

Offering a little prayer for those who made the Internet last so long, Jonathan smiled at Nathanael, "It's nice that we've saved a lot of things on our devices. We have movies, music, and other things that should last a long time.''

Thanks to SHOP, they didn't have to worry about practically anything.

Nathanael relaxed a little," True... Hey, Jonathan?"

" Yes?"

" Who are these people?" From what Nathanael remembered, Jonathan said it was only one person, but he brought a lot more, '5, 10, 15... he went overboard a little.'

Jonathan scratched his head, " The number was a little bit higher than I thought..."

From 1 person to 20 was a big difference.

Nathanael didn't care much because he trusts Jonathan. But, living up to what Jonathan asked him earlier, he asked," Are you sure we can trust them?"

Jonathan nodded, " I am sure!"

Nathanael nodded. He then looked at Gabriel and the rest of his group. They were still looking at the prison with a mix of shock and hope. " Welcome to your new home."

This caused everyone to recover from their shock. Some people began to cry and others knelt down to pray.

Gabriel took the first step, "Thank you." He then walked through the gate. The people in his group noticed this and followed him.

" By the way, do you intend to bring that bus in?" Nathanael asked Jonathan. He didn't even ask where he found this bus. ' After so much time with Jonathan, I have learned not to ask anything and to trust him.'

Jonathan looked at the bus, " Of course, it's a great mode of transportation...by the way, did Daryl and Glenn get here okay?"

Nathanael nodded," Yes, but that woman they brought in went straight to the infirmary. Hershel said she was having an infection, so he took her there and medicated her.''

"She ...?" Jonathan expected the worst.

"Is she dead? No, but she's been in the infirmary since she got here." Nathanael could see how careful Jonathan was with everyone he considered part of the group, ' So he already considers Amanda part of us. Good to know.'

Sighing in relief, Jonathan also passed through the gate, ''Leave the bus there for now. Let's show them where they're going to sleep."

Gabriel and his group had stopped halfway. They were waiting for Jonathan.

Nathanael closed the gate as soon as Jonathan had passed, " Let's go."

--

Arriving near Block 1, Jonathan could already see Samantha and Eve waiting for him. They had a frown on their faces. ' Oh shit.'

Knowing that he had been out of communication for a long time, even if it was not his fault, Jonathan was prepared to hear a sermon.

But to his surprise, the two were calm. Samantha was the first to go and hug Jonathan, " Even if it's only been a few days, it's good to see you again. Save and sound."

Jonathan returned the hug, " I'm sorry for going so long without talking. The Internet stopped working...I'll buy long-distance radios next time."

" Do that." Samantha then broke the hug and Eve moved closer.

Eve looked at Jonathan from head to toe. Jonathan asked, "What are you doing?''

"Checking to see if you're in one piece... everything looks fine!'' Eve then hugged him, "It's good to see you again.''

Jonathan could feel Eve and Samantha's concern, 'In a while, I'll be out of prison for a long time. I hope SHOP has long-distance radio.'

Although Jonathan had a walkie-talkie and radios, they were all short-range and would have no use while he was away. And in the future, he would be exploring all over the country, so this long-distance radio would be essential to maintain communication with his family.

Thinking how good the Internet was, not only for content but for communication between him and his group and everything else, Jonathan broke the embrace, "It's good to see you again. Did something happen while I was gone?"

Eve shook her head, " Nothing out of the ordinary." She paused, "There is one thing. Daryl and Glenn said they were followed. They were on high alert on the way to the prison and noticed that there was a person following them. They managed to lose him, but said he must know, roughly, the location of the prison.''

That information made Jonathan sigh. He knew the dangers of this new world, so this person could be from any group. ' But I will first take care of current problems. Put Gabriel and his group in their new home. '

'Block 1 was home to my group while Block 2 was Rick's group. So, at least for the time being, Gabriel will stay in Block 3. Hell, In a few years, I see buildings being built around this area and there will be no need to stay on the blocks.'

" Thanks for telling me."

Eve nodded. She then looked at the large number of people Jonathan brought, " New friends?''

" Yes. Maybe there are some people your age? do you mind showing them around their new home? Take Nathanael and give them a tour of the prison. Take them to Block 3.''

Eve accepted without a problem, " Leave it to me...and talk to my mother. She was genuinely extremely worried...well, so was I."

Jonathan ruffed Eve's hair. "Will do." He then turned to Gabriel," I'm sorry but I'll let my friend here show you to your new home. We'll have food for you in a few hours, don't worry. I need to deal with something.''

Gabriel wanted to say something, but he kept quiet. He could only nod.

Jonathan watched as Eve and Nathanael began their tour, 'I'm relaxed about the safety of these two. If any of Gabriel's group tried anything, even though it would be almost impossible, I'd have sympathy for those who did. Eve and Nathanael are already some of the strongest people in this new world. '

That made Jonathan somehow proud.

As they walked past the farm and towards Block 2, Jonathan turned and faced Samantha. He could see that she was a little upset.

' What can I say to make her feel better?' Nothing came to mind so he improvised.

" As I said before, I'll leave a long-distance radio here. My next trips, if I do end up making them, will probably take more than a few days." Jonathan reassured Samantha.

But he could not promise he will not go out of prison, ' There is so much to do...'

" ... Just promise you'll stay safe."

" You know what I can do. If I'm serious, I doubt even a thousand zombies could scratch me."

" What about humans?"

" I can handle them too."

Samantha sighed. She knew she could not win against Jonathan's argument because he was right. With what he had, he could easily fight off hundreds of zombies and humans alike.

" Let's go inside. Rest for a minute then go meet Daryl and Glenn. Both were pretty concerned."

While it was true they only went out of the prison thanks to Glenn's request, Jonathan would've made that trip regardless. Still, both had somehow a guilty conscience.

" Sure. I also need to talk to Daryl about something." Jonathan fell in love with Daryl's motorcycle. He wanted to see if he could borrow it to explore further. ' I can't go far though. I promised Samantha I'll stay until the baby is born, but after that... I would like to explore it even further.'

Entering block 1, Jonathan reorganized his things and did not stop to rest. He went straight to talk to Daryl and Gleen. '' Samantha, I'm going to talk to them. We'll catch up when I get back.''

'' Good luck.'' Samantha waved goodbye.

Jonathan left Block 1 and headed towards Block 2. Since Gabriel's group and Jonathan made the trip at night, they arrived very early. It was still 9 A.M, and Jonathan didn't know if Daryl, Glenn, and the others were awake.

Not caring too much about that, Jonathan got close to Block 2 and heard gunshots. 'When I was in Block 1, I didn't hear anything. Did something happen? A zombie entered the prison?'

While that was close to impossible, Jonathan still didn't rule it out. Taking a pistol from INVENTORY, Jonathan ran in the direction of the shots. He passed the entrance of block 2 and went to a place a little on the side.

Arriving at the place, Jonathan saw that Rick and Andrea were teaching the others how to aim and it seems that Gabriel's tour group had also come here.

Sighing in relief, Jonathan put away his pistol and approached everyone. He could see that the group had improvised shooting targets with the sandbags from block 1. They even made a target with some kind of paint to show where they had to hit it.

''Don't aim for the body, even if you miss, ALWAYS aim for the head. Zombies are slow and you have a better chance of killing them for good if you aim high. Remember to always take a breath before you shoot, it makes your aim better.'' Rick was giving instructions to the students while Andrea was giving lessons one by one, showing where they were going wrong.

BANG BANG BANG

Another round of shooting and the aim of some were a little off, with some missing everything while others hit lower than the head. ' While it wouldn't kill zombies, it would be fatal to humans.'

As Jonathan thought about this, Rick spoke of this, '' Now, remember, if you find yourself up against a human, no matter where you hit, one shot will usually incapacitate them. But remember to always shoot them in the head after and if they die, since they turn into zombies after dying. I hope things don't come that, but it's better to be prepared to deal with everything.''

' WOW, this Rick is more adjusted to the apocalypse than the ones in the Comics and the TV series... I'm not complaining.' Looking around, Jonathan noted every one of Rick's group was there. Even Lori and Hershel were shooting, with Carl being the most excited of them all.

Thanks to the big numbers of weapons Jonathan gave them, everyone had a gun to train their aim.

Rick finally noted Jonathan, '' Oh, welcome back. Daryl and Glenn told us what happened in the hotel... I decided it was better to prepare everyone for an eventual fight. I used the guns and the ammo, I hope you don't mind.''

' Ohhh, so that's what happened. Makes sense.' Jonathan did not hesitate to speak, '' Don't need to worry. We have a lot of ammo, you can use as much as you want. The guns too, everyone should have one.''

'' Thank you for trusting me with them. I know how difficult is to trust new people, even more so in this world. I doubt I would've done the same as you.''

Jonathan knew that was not true. Rick always had a soft heart that was slowly changed thanks to the cruelty of this world. He would have accepted Jonathan and the other if the need arrived.

'' Give yourself more credit. You maintained your group alive and well for a long time outside those fences. That IS more impressive than what I did.'' All of Jonathan's compliments were true. While no doubt flawed, Rick was one of his role models in leadership.

Rick looked at his 'family'. While he had to kill Shane and some others, he did protect them the best he could. He turned his gaze to Jonathan, '' Thanks... But I doubt you came here to talk to me about training.'' Rick pointed to the side, '' Daryl and Glenn were there.''

Jonathan looked over and sure enough, Daryl and Glenn were with Carol and Maggie. While one pair was clearly in love with each other, the other one looked like siblings, '' Thanks. I catch up with you later.''

Waving goodbye to Rick, Jonathan went to talk with Daryl and Glenn. Arriving close, he said hi, '' Good morning, ladies.'' It drew the attention of the four.

Glenn and Daryl were the first ones to react. They turned to Jonathan, in a flash.

That made Jonathan smile a little, '' I was talking to them.'' He pointed at Carol and Maggie at the side, '' Do you mind if I borrow those 2 for a while?''

Carol and Maggie were also giving a small smile, '' Good morning.''

'' Good morning.''

'' You can take them, but please return before lunchtime. We have ... something to discuss.'' Maggie's eyes danced on Glenn's body.

Jonathan coughed, '' It will be quick... See you both around.''

Carol and Maggie left, leaving the trio behind. Glenn reacted first, '' Dude, it's so good to see you again. I thought something might have happened to you and I was worried.... all because of my selfish request.''

'' Nah, I was actually planning to go out too, in fact, you just made my life easier. Don't blame yourself too much, we even saved someone.''

Glenn remembered Amanda's condition and his conscience eased a little, '' Yeah, that's that.''

'' How is she doing, by the way?''

'' As far as I'm aware, Hershel is giving her meds to deal with any infections she might have. That is the end of her physical problems, we just need to look out for the mental ones... I have no idea how her mind is after losing one leg to a bunch of cannibals.'' Glenn gave a heads-up about Amanda's situation.

'' Yeah, that must be rough.'' After a short pause, Jonathan turned to Daryl, '' I came here to show I'm good and ask about Amanda, but also I need to ask something of you.''

Daryl made a quick surprised face, but recovered, '' Tell me what you need?''

'' I know it might be too much, but could you let me borrow your motorcycle for a long period? It's not forever, but it may take a while for me to get back to prison in those trips.''

'' Do you plan to go out there? ... You know the state of the world.'' Daryl was curious about this part.

Jonathan sighed, '' I know, but I also know there are people out there, good people, that might need a new place to stay. Just like Amanda, and just like the group I just bought.'' He looked over at Gabriel and his group.

Daryl and Glenn followed his gaze, ''I see. I found it strange those people showed out of nowhere.''

'' I found them thanks to your bike. And I want to go out more, and a car is not that convenient to travel.'' Jonathan knew he was asking much, but he liked that bike. ' While I can't buy from the SHOP, I just need to find a bike out there. But so far, no luck in that regard.'

Yes, while Jonathan had cars in his inventory, he didn't bother to pick motorcycles. It was stupid, but he had a lot on his mind and he forgot about it.

Daryl immediately said, '' No problem. Do you want to keep the keys?''

Jonathan didnt even returned the keys yet. He hesitated for a moment, ' There's Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene who were supposed to be close, my parents... But I also need to talk to my group here for some time before leaving once more.''

So, he threw the keys to Daryl, '' Not today, but In a few days I will leave.''

'' Just tell me when you're going so I can prepare it for the travel.'' While he didn't mind borrowing his bike to Jonathan, Daryl still liked his bike quite a bit and wanted to take care of it before Jonathan went on a trip.

'' Will do.''

Jonathan then talked some more with Daryl and Glenn, and left shortly after. He noted Eve, Nathanael and Gabriel's group were no longer there, ' They must have gone to Block 3. I'll just go to block 1.'

Leaving Rick and Andrea training everyone, Jonathan went to his block. He wanted to talk to Samantha, but in the short time he was away, she went to sleep.

Not wanting to wake her up just for a small talk, Jonathan went to his room/cell. He sat down on his bead and looked at the ceiling.

This was the first time in 2 days he can have a good sleep. But something had been nagging him for some time now, ' IF Gareth's group fate changed, what about the other villains and heroes? Maybe the things I know don't amount to anything now... And I should take care of the dangers near me, and that danger has a name. Governor.'

' I have to deal with this psychopath soon or later...' While he was thinking of ways to deal with the Governo, Jonathan finally slept after a few days without sleep.

 

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