The Walking Dead: A New Beginning From the End of the World

Jason sat in the living room, reading the messages summarizing the conversation the Janner couple was having in the kitchen. Nothing was happening beyond what he had anticipated when Edwin made him that proposal.

Any man who had the chance to increase the safety of the person he loves would do so without caring about the consequences. For Jason, the odds changed the moment he entered the lives of these scientists, and for everything he hoped to create in the future, he had to safeguard the possibility of developing a cure.

When the couple returned to the living room where Jason sat in silence, Candace gave him an apologetic smile and said, "Jason, I need to put some things away before going back to work, so I'll excuse myself first. My husband will explain the details, and if you accept this tough job, believe me, you'll do more than you've ever done before."

"That's fine, Mrs. Jenner."

"You can call me Candace."

"Thank you for everything, Candace." Jason smiled at the kind woman and then fell silent, waiting for Edwin to share what he had in mind. When he learned that they wanted to hire him as CDC personnel, he silently celebrated this great news.

In the original story, he knew that at least the Atlanta CDC had no staff, except for this couple of scientists who fought until the end, just like other research departments around the world. Knowing that the Atlanta CDC center had no one else but these two scientists, it would be the perfect place to start after the fall of the world's governments.

Furthermore, from what he understood, Jason knew that Edwin's wife, Candace, was an excellent researcher who, in the original story, was the only key to finding a cure. That's why, if everything went as he was planning, Jason firmly believed he could find the cure—unlike the CRM, which had decided that this dream of a cure would never come true.

"Jason, could you give me a detailed explanation of the group you recommend? You must understand that this is of utmost importance because what I'm about to tell you is highly confidential and could be linked to the survival of all humanity..."

Everything Edwin could tell Jason was of no real use to him, but despite that, he acted normally and nodded.

After saying this, Edwin thought Jason would call him crazy. To be honest, very few people in the world would believe him if he said that a virus was spreading rapidly across the globe, causing an immense number of deaths.

"Mr. Janner, to be honest, what you just told me made me a little nervous, but I'm willing to listen to whatever you need to share with me about your work."

Jason knew that his success today would largely depend on his next words, so he also tried to act naturally and give an impression of honesty.

"Then tell me about the team you recommend." Edwin first wanted to know more about the people Jason had mentioned. If he could increase the security of the CDC and reduce their physical workload, the research would perform much better.

"Well, they are all former special forces members who haven't found a fulfilling job in private security companies. You might not understand, but most of us can't stand guarding billionaire businessmen when we used to work for the future of this country, not private corporations."

Jason thought about his subordinates. He knew most of them personally, while the rest were recommended by trusted friends, making them essentially elite members with military training.

"As for those I can recommend, there are six, and I can call them brothers without hesitation. One is a computer expert, another is a specialist in electrical repairs. There's also someone with deep knowledge in advanced medicine, while another is a mechanic with expertise in electrical systems. Lastly, we have someone who knows how to handle explosives and is an exceptional driver."

Jason hadn't wasted any time. With great difficulty and analysis, he had recruited many into his group. Of course, now that the hiring conversation was underway, he didn't mention that he planned to get all his men into the CDC under his command.

The best thing he could do now was pretend—act as if he was willing to do whatever Edwin wanted and later devise plans to discreetly bring his people and some of their relatives into the CDC.

At this point, Jason felt quite confident about his survival. After all, those he called followers were all former special forces soldiers who were just waiting for an order to make a move, as they had done until now.

For those who doubted Jason's words, Tommy decided to tell them about his reactivation in a top-secret mission to convince those who didn't trust Jason's statements.

Of course, a small group refused to be part of Jason's team. Some believed they had already sacrificed too much for their countries, while others didn't want to take on dangerous missions because of their families.

That's why Jason decided to recruit only those who were alone, who had no family, and, for the most part, didn't want to return to them. Though it might sound harsh, these were the only ones who wouldn't abandon him when chaos hit the streets of Atlanta.

"Incredible..." Edwin's eyes lit up with excitement, happy that Jason was at least taking his words seriously—something not many would do at this point.

"Jason, I didn't expect you to have such a strong team. They could all be of great help if we work together."

Saying that, Edwin walked to his wife's room and knocked gently. After a moment, Candace came out with expectant eyes, walked to the living room, and sat down.

"Jason, let me tell you what's currently happening in the world. My husband and I are scientists working at the CDC..."

…

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Many around the world might not know about the CDC, but few don't understand how it operates.

These research centers, dedicated to protecting the health of all humanity, work 24/7 to shield the United States from health and security threats, both foreign and domestic.

Even though Jason knew what the majority did, he learned much more during his time inside these facilities.

A week later, Jason and more than ten agents joined the CDC without any issues, thanks to Candace and Edwin's help. To everyone's surprise, there were still personnel working tirelessly on research to find a cure.

But they immediately noticed the panic among the CDC members because they had first-hand knowledge of the news that would never be broadcast on television. That's why many understood those who wanted to escape—to leave the city for a remote area where they could take refuge from the atrocities being hidden and that were about to unfold.

Of course, some people still chose to stay, including the Janners, Jason, his group, and a few others.

Originally, Jason was equipped with gear and worked as a security guard. When he had the chance, he wondered—since "Project Wildfire" was in progress, why were the researchers leaving the facility? CDC researchers weren't supposed to leave.

When he asked Candace about it, her answer was simple—a single sentence.

"We are just as scared and as human as anyone else!"

…

On July 5, 2010, Jason and the CDC staff noticed that since yesterday, the news had begun reporting "violent incidents" in several public places.

Jason knew very well that the end of the world was approaching, and the only thing he could do was wait. Everyone was nervous, but that was all they could do.

"It was a good choice to trust your words, Captain. It looks like things out there are starting to spiral out of control. I hope they find a cure soon so not so many people die."

Sam Valdez, a former soldier hired by Jason, shared his thoughts.

"Let's not be too complacent. Things can go wrong even here. We need to stay alert, just as Jason said."

Tyler, who managed the security cameras, pointed out an important fact—no one was safe anywhere.

"We all know that, we owe a lot to Jason for explaining everything that's happening to us in detail," said a muscular man named George Burcea.

"We need to focus on protecting this place. It's crucial that they don't breach the security of such an important site," Tommy said, holding his weapon and speaking coldly.

Billy Butcher, who was more relaxed than everyone else, said, "Well, now more than ever it's comforting not to have family to worry about. By the way, González, how's your family overseas?"

"They'll be fine. Jason helped me with the resources to move them to a farm far from society. I'm grateful and eager to do the job I promised him." With that, Nicholas González left to patrol the building.

They were all part of the small team Jason had managed to gather. They were more than enough to initially move through the facilities and, of course, take control. In some temporary shelters, there were more men under their command guarding the most exposed resources, waiting.

All they could do now was wait. No hero would survive the first waves of chaos.

Despite all the calculations Jason had made to prepare, it was impossible for him to save everyone.

…

In a certain street in Atlanta, a van sped down the road. In no time, it reached a religious community that was still holding out.

A few seconds later, a black man, somewhat muscular, stepped out of the van. Unlike many who weren't concerned by the news spreading everywhere, he pulled out a large amount of essentials, including water, food, and medicine, and began creating his own stockpiles.

Soon, the supplies he had prepared were delivered to each of the homes within the community.

"T-Dog, you're here again. I understand we're bothering you with all this, so here's a hundred dollars as a tip."

"T-Dog, can you help me fix my TV? It stopped working after I threw a shoe at it when I heard the news."

"T-Dog, God bless you, you're a good guy. Be careful on your way back home."

The black man, known as T-Dog, was actually Theodor and Douglas. He wasn't supposed to be working today in the community service, but due to the chaos on the streets, few dared to cover for others in this service, so he was the one covering the shifts of those who had abandoned their duties.

After all, if he didn't do it, what would happen to the elderly who could barely walk to their doors? They would all die from hunger, lack of medicine, or worry.

Even though T-Dog had more important personal matters to attend to, he still found time to go from house to house delivering personal supplies, hoping to help these poor elderly people.

"Alright, Mr. James, I'll be there in a minute."

After working in the community for an hour delivering supplies, T-Dog finally finished his job and drove his van back to the warehouse to prepare the next batch of supplies for other communities.

…

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Andrea and Amy were driving to their father's house.

Suddenly, something hit the rear side of their car, and there was a "Crash."

Andrea's heart squeezed as she slammed on the brakes and instinctively looked back, only to see the rear of the car empty!

A short distance away, there were two people struggling to run forward.

"Yeah, sing it with me, sister!" Amy was listening to music through headphones. When she was jolted by the sudden brake, she couldn't help but shout and turned her head to look at her sister angrily.

"You scared me."

Andrea looked left and right for a moment, then turned to Amy and asked, "Did you hear that just now?"

"Hear what?" Amy didn't quite understand her sister's question, so she took off her headphones and heard Andrea continue speaking.

"It sounded like something hit the back of the car."

Amy was startled when she heard this, and thinking the worst, she absentmindedly stroked her hair while looking at the rear of the car through the rearview mirror.

Not seeing anything, she began to scan the surroundings with panic in her eyes, as violent incidents were said to happen in isolated areas with few people. At least that's what they said on the news, and Amy believed what they shared.

"It seems like the streets aren't safe anywhere. Let's move fast. At least our dad gave us a weapon for protection…"

"Stop talking and let's get out of here."

…

"Wow!"

Glenn was on his scooter, wearing a baseball cap and the pizza shop uniform he worked in, speeding down an alley.

The pizza deliveries had given him an in-depth knowledge of the streets and alleys of Atlanta. That's why, every delivery he made was significantly faster than others.

This was also the main reason why his cheap boss never dared to deduct his salary.

"It's a nice day…" Glenn thought as he once again quickly arrived at the delivery spot. He skillfully parked the scooter to the side, grabbed the food, and headed up the stairs to the apartment building.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Sir, your pizza's here."

Glenn was annoyed because the customer hadn't come out quickly, but still keeping his smile, he knocked again, this time more forcefully.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Can you hear me? Is anyone home?"

After waiting outside the door for about two minutes, Glenn exhaled in impatience, his face showing helplessness. It seemed that his boss's scolding was inevitable if he returned with the pizza.

He shook his head and was about to head down the stairs when suddenly he heard a "bang" behind the door. He was so happy that he went back to the door and knocked again.

"Ah woah… Ah uh, ooh..."

Without waiting for the door to open, he was already pulling out the pizza receipt, but then he heard a low growl from behind the door, followed by banging sounds as if someone was hitting their head against the wood.

Glenn, curious and scared, pressed his ear to the door, then knocked again.

Screech!

The sound of nails scratching against the door reached Glenn's ears clearly.

"Sir, I know you're inside. If you insist on not opening the door, I'll call the police!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As if Glenn's voice had irritated the person inside the door, a more violent crash was heard, followed by an inhuman roar filled with rage.

Glenn was a little nervous and felt something was wrong at that moment, and though he wanted to retreat, he shouted one last time, trying to show they weren't scared: "Alright, I'm leaving now!"

"Arghhhh!"

Glenn finally panicked, turned around, and ran down the stairs. All he wanted now was to call the police and tell them something was wrong in that apartment, but soon his expression turned pale.

Beep-beep...

"The number you dialed is temporarily unavailable, please try again later."

"Dammit!" Glenn pocketed his phone, unable to do anything, and drove his scooter back to the shop.

…

King County, the Grimes' house.

"Mom, will dad be okay?"

"Carl, your dad is a very strong man, and he's going to be fine!"

In Carl's room, Lori lay in bed with her son in her arms. Rick's sudden gunshot had a big impact on the three of them, but it made Lori suddenly realize how important her husband was in their lives.

"Mom, can I sleep with you tonight?"

"Sweetie, I'm not going anywhere. You can sleep peacefully here."

The sudden severe injury to his father made young Carl very sad. After worrying all night, his eyelids grew heavy, and soon he fell asleep in Lori's arms.

At that moment, Lori, who was holding Carl, felt very sad and finally revealed how worried she was about her husband.