The meeting ended, and everyone left the room one after another to make their preparations.
Rick was just about to leave when Calista called out to him.
"Rick, one more thing." Her expression had grown a little more serious.
Rick stopped and turned back to look at her.
Calista walked to the window and lightly tapped the wooden boards reinforcing it. "This prison is solid, but that doesn't mean it's completely safe."
She turned around and looked Rick straight in the eye. "It isn't hidden well enough. The noise from your cleanup, the smoke from daily cooking, all of it could attract unwanted attention."
Rick's brow furrowed slightly. He understood what Calista meant.
In the apocalypse, the most dangerous things were often not walkers.
"On our way here, we found signs of activity that didn't come from walkers," Calista continued.
She did not directly mention the Governor. After all, according to the storyline, Woodbury had not officially appeared yet, but the warning was necessary.
"This area isn't empty. There may be small groups of wanderers, or there may be groups that pose a much greater threat."
She paused, her tone becoming heavier. "Don't let the high walls make you careless. The watchtowers need to be guarded around the clock, and you have to be even more careful whenever you go out. In this world, people are harder to read than walkers."
Rick's expression turned extremely grave. He nodded firmly. "We'll strengthen the patrols."
As a police officer, he understood the complexity and darkness of human nature better than anyone. Calista's warning was not alarmist.
Calista knew her warning had gotten through.
She knew very well that, if things followed the original storyline, Rick's group would eventually choose to defend the prison and turn it into a powerful community.
Her original plan had been to come back this time and take the livestock with her.
If possible, she had intended to absorb them into her group as well, but now it seemed Rick was more inclined to make this place a permanent base.
[That works too,]
Calista quickly weighed the situation in her mind.
[Forcing them to leave may not be the best move. If Rick and the others can truly establish themselves here and grow stronger, then bringing the prison into Rock Fortress's alliance system in the future might be the better choice. A strong, independent ally can sometimes be more valuable than a subordinate who depends entirely on you.]
Her thoughts became clearer.
"I believe in your ability," Calista said at last. "Hold this place and wait for us to come back. By then, maybe we can discuss a longer-term way to work together."
She did not make any firm promises, leaving plenty of room for the future.
Rick went to arrange the next cleanup and defense tasks, while the members of Rock Fortress began checking their weapons and equipment.
Calista and Leah were the last to leave the room, watching as everyone busied themselves.
Leah asked quietly, "Are you really okay with leaving our backs to them?"
Calista looked toward Rick in the distance, who was explaining something to T-Dog and Glenn, and said slowly, "We don't have a choice, Leah. If we want to go farther, sometimes we have to learn to trust. Besides..."
She paused. "Rick is worth trusting this once."
Calista walked over to Carver, who was checking his gear.
"Carver, is everyone ready?" she asked.
"Vehicles, weapons, and supplies are all in place. Danny's communications equipment and Bossie's reconnaissance gear are fully charged, Calista," Carver answered at once. "As for Lorenzo, Bossie and Wells are watching him. His wounds have been treated, he's been changed into cleaner prison clothes, and the shackles are ready."
"Good." Calista nodded. "We leave tomorrow morning. Let's hope everything goes smoothly."
...
The next morning.
Two Humvees, one heavy truck, and a sedan were parked in the middle of the prison yard.
Carver and Mike were leading Turner, Wells, and the others through the final checks before departure.
Merle, Daryl, and Shane stood together, inspecting their gear.
The three men who had not gotten along at the quarry camp, mainly Merle and Shane, had somehow formed a certain understanding.
Not far away, Lorenzo sat on an ammo crate, his hands firmly cuffed behind his back. The handcuffs had been found in the prison by Carver and the others.
Ethan had treated his wounds again, and he had changed into a relatively clean set of ordinary prison clothes.
Bossie and Wells stood to his left and right.
Lorenzo kept his head lowered, his eyes hidden beneath his bangs, making his emotions impossible to read.
All these careful preparations drew the attention of the young onlookers.
Carl and Sophia stood under the eaves a little way off, watching everything with curiosity and a hint of fear.
"Are they going to fight monsters?" Sophia whispered.
"I don't know," Carl said without blinking, "but their cars are really cool."
The children were not the only ones with complicated feelings. The adults felt the same.
Carol and Jacqui quietly brought over some extra supplies.
Carol handed Leah a bundle containing coarse-grain flatbread and jerky she had made together with Lori and Patricia.
"For the road," Carol said softly. "Be careful."
Jacqui handed Calista a small cloth pouch. Inside were several pieces of clean gauze and a small bottle of strong liquor. "Calista, good luck."
Just then, three figures walked over hesitantly.
It was Oscar, Axel, and Big Guy.
The three of them had been taken in by Carver and the others when they first cleared the prison. In a sense, they could be considered peripheral members of Rock Fortress.
Axel rubbed his hands together, a slightly ingratiating smile on his face, and spoke first. "Boss, what do you think? Are you taking us with you on this mission?"
Calista shook her head. "This mission is a spearhead operation. It requires absolute professionalism and coordination. We don't know what the situation is like there, and the risk is extremely high. I understand how you feel, but your current experience and training aren't enough to handle that level of danger."
Seeing the disappointment on their faces, Calista added, "The prison is just as important. Rick and the others need people who know the internal layout to help with clearing and defense."
She looked at Rick, and Rick immediately understood. He stepped forward and said, "Calista is right. Oscar, Axel, Big Guy, we can't clear the prison without you. We need your help."
Finally, Calista said to the three former prisoners, "When we pass by here on our way back, if you still want to join us, you can come with us then. Of course, if you think this place suits you better and choose to stay, I'll respect that too."
Hearing this, the disappointment on Oscar and the others' faces eased a great deal. At least they had not been rejected outright.
They looked at one another, then Oscar said, "Understood. We'll hold this place."
Preparations continued. The prison gates were slowly pushed open, and the people staying behind gathered at the entrance to see them off.
Everyone was there.
Rick strode up to Calista's car window and held out his hand. "Good luck, Calista. We'll be waiting for you to come back."
Calista shook his hand firmly. "Hold this place, Rick."
Calista nodded to Carver.
Mike pressed the button on the vehicle radio. "Move out."
The roar of the engines grew louder. The lead vehicle slowly started forward and drove out through the prison gates.
The second Humvee followed close behind, then Shane's sedan, and finally the huge modified heavy truck.
Calista's and Daryl's motorcycles were both loaded onto the heavy truck.
Rick and the others remained standing at the entrance until the last glimmer of taillights had completely vanished. Only then did they slowly look away.
...
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