"Move your fucking asses right now! Anyone who wants to quit training, get ready to take a bullet to the head!"
Merle didn't waste any time and started yelling furiously. His eyes swept over the people who, until recently, had depended on his protection. Now, each one of them would be able to protect themselves, so from this moment on, they were under his command.
As trainers, everyone split into different groups to begin the training. The program Jason came up with, and which was approved by the others, was very simple: an instructor would face off against a soldier wearing protective gear.
The drill consisted of the soldier holding on to their weapon no matter what. The instructor wouldn't carry anything other than the protective suit. While the instructor tried to disarm the soldier, the soldier had to defend themselves using special techniques and, at the same time, subdue the enemy.
The training ended when the soldier dropped their weapon or simulated killing the instructor. This ensured the development of several key skills: experience, strength, persistence, control, endurance, and more.
In an open space, large, soft mats were laid down so no one would get injured on the concrete floor. Those who weren't directly involved in the training became curious about what was being taught and moved closer to watch.
In one corner, Jason wore a standard outfit as he observed the twenty people standing before him.
"In your hands, you're holding a standard M4 rifle used by the best soldiers in our army. It weighs 3.52 kilograms with a thirty-round magazine."
As he said this, Jason picked up an M4 and showed it to the group. After the initial demonstration, he continued: "It has a length of 756 mm with the stock retracted and 838 mm with the stock extended."
"The great thing about this weapon is that you can attach almost any kind of accessory you can imagine, which made it ideal and widely used by our army before the world ended."
From time to time, Jason glanced at the crowd watching his explanation, and from afar, he noticed a female figure that caught his attention. As if remembering something, he smiled slightly and refocused on the training.
"If I manage to take your weapon, the training ends. You can use any technique to prevent that from happening, as long as you don't let go of your weapon. On the battlefield, whether you're facing walkers or people, if you drop your weapon, you're dead."
"Any questions?"
Jason looked at everyone in front of him. Once the training began, things would get much simpler. A young man stepped forward and said, "Commander, you said we can do anything to stop you from taking our weapons. There won't be consequences?"
Upon hearing this, Jason turned his head toward the voice and smiled. No one laughed or mocked him—after all, they weren't kids playing soldiers. They were survivors trying to survive.
"Of course, you can use any technique. However, if you drop your weapon, your next training will be handled differently."
After saying that and without waiting for anyone to speak, he pointed to the center of the mat and said, "You'll go first. Hold your weapon and walk forward aiming ahead—I don't want you looking at me."
"Yes, sir!"
Walking forward with his rifle raised, the young man aimed ahead and silently awaited the instructor's attack. Seconds passed, increasing his nervousness. Just when he thought something wasn't right, someone suddenly tackled him from behind with such force that it brought him to the ground.
At that moment, Jason was wearing gloves and a helmet that fully protected his head. He had attacked the recruit from behind, knocking him down. Seeing the soldier hadn't dropped his weapon, Jason smiled.
The young man, now pinned to the ground by Jason, squirmed and struggled to prevent his weapon from being taken. He tried to hit Jason and aim his rifle to complete the test.
However, just as he thought he was doing well, a strong arm pressed tightly around his neck. While he tried to remove the arm with his right hand, the rifle in his left fell to the floor.
"Training's over!"
Everyone watched in silence. They didn't know how long they'd be able to hold on to their weapon, which made them immediately nervous.
"Good job, soldier. You lasted 53 seconds alive. If this had been a real fight, you'd have died in half that time with those poor fighting skills."
Training continued, and after two hours, it came to an end. Everyone started cleaning the area in silence. After Jason's instructions, none of them lasted more than two minutes.
As Jason wiped the sweat from his forehead, he noticed a teenage girl in the crowd who was about to turn away. But the moment she made eye contact with him, she stopped.
"Your name is Enid?" Jason asked after walking up to her.
"You know me?" Enid was a little surprised when the man called her by name. She had arrived at the settlement a week earlier and was shocked that someone knew who she was.
"So it was you... no wonder..." Jason muttered and said, "I think I have something that belongs to you. Come with me."
He didn't wait to explain. When he had been near the Alexandria community, he remembered the things he'd found in a backpack inside a building attacked by the Wolves—they had unexpectedly turned out to be Enid's.
He didn't know how Enid's family had died or how they ended up in that situation, but he was genuinely surprised that things had played out this way.
Inside the modified RV, Jason took a few minutes before pulling out a backpack containing the items he'd found in that building.
Enid, who had been silently waiting, froze when she saw the backpack in Jason's hands and couldn't help but ask, "How?"
"I found it in a building near Virginia. There were a few interesting things, but most importantly, a photo of your family. At first, I didn't think it was you—but you look a lot like your mother."
When Jason saw Enid start to cry, he felt a bit awkward and handed her the backpack before turning and saying, "Go through it carefully. When you're ready, we can talk."
Without waiting for a response, Jason went back into the RV. He was tired and desperately needed a shower—he hadn't had a proper one in a long time.
"Thank you..."
Enid hugged the backpack tightly in her arms. She didn't know how this man had gotten hold of the backpack she lost when her family died, but she didn't want to wait. She ran off to a quiet spot to go through the contents.
…
Three days later – Alexandria community
Jason didn't give his group any time to rest. Everyone trained with the soldiers in formation, slowly improving their abilities. Although they were tired and busy, he eventually gave them half a day of rest.
Meanwhile, his mind kept working on what had to be done next. Time was moving quickly, so he had to make the most of every second and minute.
Deanna had called all the members of Alexandria to hold important meetings in recent days, but Jason, focused on his group's training, hadn't paid it much attention.
In the mornings, he led physical training with everyone to increase their strength. Deanna, walking alongside them, watched Jason's group jogging nonstop.
"Don't stop! Anyone who stops or slows down doesn't get lunch!"
"Yes, sir!"
After that, he left what he was doing and went to meet Deanna's group. When he arrived, he wiped off some sweat and greeted them without much formality.
"Jason, I've taken the liberty of observing you these past few days while thinking about what you told me. I don't think the people here can adapt to the problems you mentioned as quickly as your people, but we still can't afford to do nothing. So, if you'll allow me—can I ask something of you?"
"What is it?"
"Next time you go out, could I trouble you to take a few of Alexandria's members? I want them to experience firsthand the vast difference in experience between your group and ours."
Jason looked at the people standing behind Deanna. He knew them all—and this was exactly what he had been hoping for. In short, they would later become the main fighting force in Rick's team. Although Alexandria had many problems, Jason was confident that if he nurtured these people, they'd become unstoppable in the future.
Seeing Jason's silence, Deanna quickly added, "These people are the most experienced in our community. If you can't convince them of your vision, no one in this community will be willing to change."
Following her explanation, Jason noticed that the only one who looked serious was Aaron. So he understood that for now, these people were just rookies who needed to adapt.
"No problem. Since you're giving me your most experienced members, I'll leave enough protection behind so their absence won't be felt here."
"Of course!"
With that, Deanna turned and introduced the people behind her: "This is Tobin, Eric, Kenneth, and Rodrigo."
"As we've discussed, the six of you will now operate with Jason. You must follow orders and be especially careful with your safety."
Everyone agreed. Jason's eyes scanned the group, ignoring their expressions, and said bluntly, "There's only one thing you need to know. Once we're outside Alexandria, you'll follow my orders. If you think you can't do that, now's the time to walk away."
After waiting a while and seeing no one leave, Jason nodded, and his tone softened slightly. "Since no one left, you're now part of my group. Let's have breakfast together—we're heading out as soon as possible."
…
The modified RV rolled down the highway without stopping. This time, Jason's target was a nearby town marked on the map. Heath and the others watched the process in silence. They had already scouted the nearby towns and taken everything they could from those places.
That was why they kept going farther and farther to collect supplies. But Heath and the others didn't interfere with the decisions of these newcomers. In fact, they were looking forward to laughing later—when this arrogant group realized that this wasn't their safe haven.