206

A New Beginning From the End of the World

Chapter 206 - Everyone Will Pay

Fifteen minutes earlier, shortly after leaving the military base...

“Let’s go back! How can you leave Jason in that place swarming with walkers?” shouted Daryl as he shoved Elias angrily, his gaze stained with Carlos’ blood, which was still dripping from his hands.

Everything had happened so fast that he couldn’t even process it all—Carlos was dead, Jason and Morgan had gotten separated from the group along with Billy, and their whereabouts were now completely unknown.

Daryl, staring at the panicked civilians and soldiers lying on the ground with the same terrified expression, slapped away Elias’s hand that was trying to hold him back. “You idiots! We need to alert the base and call for reinforcements!”

Elias looked at Daryl, unsure of what to do. He had just followed Jason’s orders. And it was true—without the decisions they had made, many more people would’ve died, and none of it would’ve been worth it.

Just as Daryl was about to contact central command, the radio on his belt crackled to life, and Jason’s voice came through the speaker:
“Zz... This is Jason! Can anyone hear me? Respond, quickly.”

“Zz... This is Daryl. How are you?” Daryl asked as he paced back and forth, anxiously awaiting a reply.

“Zz... It’s good to hear your voice, my friend. I’m fine. You know something like this isn’t enough to kill me. I need you to stay calm and return to the military base. We’ll figure out the best way to get me back later.”

When Daryl heard Jason’s words, he let out a deep sigh of relief. After a few seconds, he said, “Zz... You’re a damn idiot. Who’s going to save you if you’re so busy trying to save others at the cost of your own life? Just wait—we’re coming back for you.”

“Zz... I know you’d protect me. I’m sure of that, my friend.”

“I couldn’t protect Carlos. The kid’s dead... I’ve got his bow...” As he said this, Daryl looked down at Carlos’s bow in his hand and fell silent, realizing he’d never see him again.

“Zz... Carlos was a brave kid. From the moment I met him, I knew he’d be a good survivor. He’s proud—and always will be—of having learned from you.”

“Zz... Yeah. He really was.”

…

Jason closed his eyes when he heard the news. Carlos was dead, and that was a weight he’d carry forever.

He knew he had been a fool to try and save more people than he could handle. Now he was somewhere in the middle of Texas with no clue what to do next.

“Just like old times, huh, boss?” Billy asked with a grin, glancing at Morgan and the other soldiers beside him.

“I’ll get you all out of here, guys. I promise,” Jason said with certainty in his voice. He truly believed he could get them out without much trouble.

“Ha ha ha! This is one hell of an adventure, Jason,” Morgan replied nervously. Right now, all he wanted was to get home and reunite with his family.

But at that moment, the back of the helicopter suddenly exploded, shaking the aircraft violently and putting everyone on high alert.

“What’s going on?” Jason asked, sensing that something was very wrong.

“It’s the engine, sir! The maintenance wasn’t up to standard, and the sudden flight caused critical failures!” the pilot responded, visibly anxious as he scanned the surroundings to make a decision.

“Can we land somewhere safe?” Morgan asked as he fastened his seatbelt.

“Yes! That’s what I’m doing—we’re starting to descend slowly!”

Jason sighed nervously. Today might be the day he died. He didn’t regret making it this far. At least he’d left a solid foundation for Rick and the others to survive—at least until the CRM came knocking.

Unbeknownst to the others, Jason had left a letter in a room where he stored the black candy only Tyler knew about. That letter was meant to reach the leader of the S.C.T. community one year later.

But Jason wasn’t a pessimist—he was still alive. These were just fleeting thoughts that struck him in moments of crisis, when his survival wasn’t guaranteed.

“I’m losing control!”

“Brace yourselves!”

Time seemed to slow in Jason’s eyes. He reflected on everything he’d done—was it worth it? Were all these people in danger because of him?

“Don’t worry, Billy—I’m getting you out of here, buddy!”

“It’s alright, boss. This is just... exciting.”

“I’ll get you all out, don’t worry.”

As he looked at the smoke pouring from the back of the helicopter, Jason tightened his grip and inhaled the cold, heavy air of the moment. Everyone around him was terrified of what was about to happen.

And then, without warning, the sound of the wind ripping was followed by a spray of blood inside the helicopter.

Bang!

The bullet struck Billy straight through the head. Blood and bits of flesh exploded from the exit wound.

Billy’s bulky body jolted slightly. He looked at Jason with a faint smile, mumbled a few final words, and then collapsed forward.

“Billy!”

Suddenly, gunfire erupted from behind. Everyone in front instinctively ducked.

The person closest to Billy turned to look at his fallen companion and the bullets now ripping through the cockpit. With eyes wide in disbelief, he leaned against the wall and shouted:
“Take cover!”

“Ahhh!!!”

The screams shook everyone on board.

Jason, who was the closest, was also startled by the piercing cry, then gradually snapped out of it. Hearing the man’s relentless screams, he knew he had to find out where the gunfire was coming from.

“Damn it!!”

The death of another teammate sent shockwaves of fear through the cabin. No one knew who screamed next—several soldiers had already been hit by the enemy’s bullets.

The helicopter was flying low, after all. Anyone with an assault rifle could shoot at them—and that’s exactly what a group of unknown attackers was doing.

Bang Bang Bang!

“Everyone, cover your heads!”

Jason didn’t know what was going on, so he focused on protecting Morgan and waited for the helicopter to land so he could see which bastard was shooting at them.

“I’ve lost control, sir!”

“Brace for impact!”

Boom!

Suddenly, the helicopter carrying Jason and Morgan crashed into the ground with immense force. Everything went blurry. Jason looked around, and the right side of his vision turned crimson.

“Whoever touches my people... whoever dares harm them... I’ll kill you all. You’ll all pay in blood for what you’ve done…”

Right then, Jason’s face turned cold and his eyes burned red as he focused on his gear and his weapon bag. He could faintly hear people approaching.

“I’ll kill them all…”

Zz... This is Morgan. The helicopter went down, and we’re now surrounded by walkers and hostiles. Commander Jason is alive, but I can’t say the same for the others...

At that moment, Morgan grabbed the nearest radio and sent a message to central command:
Zz... If you hear this message, send reinforcements immediately as soon as the commander contacts you…

“Morgan, if you can still walk, you need to get out of here. I’ll take care of the rest... we’ll regroup once I handle the situation…”

Morgan looked at Jason, who was bleeding heavily from his forehead. He saw him load his weapon and get ready to fight. He wanted to help, but Jason’s next words stopped him cold:

“Morgan, you have a family waiting for you. Get to safety and take that soldier who’s still breathing. I’ll give you enough time to escape!”

“I’ve got no one…”

After saying those words, Jason gave one last look at Billy Fisher’s body. His expression turned icy, focused on what was about to come.
“Everyone dies today.”

“Oh God—that’s a machine gun!”

Two men approached and turned their heads toward the helicopter cockpit, only to lock eyes with Jason’s frigid stare. Seconds later, he opened fire.

Bang Bang Bang!