When Jason heard that voice, he lowered his head slightly and saw a small face in front of him. If he remembered correctly, this girl should be Elen.
There weren't many people Rick could have connected with, so this girl and her sister might actually be far more useful than some of the other survivors. After all, they were people Rick Grimes had accepted into the group.
"Hm…"
Seeing Elen greet him, Jason couldn't help but show an amused expression and naturally greeted her back with a handshake.
"My name is—"
"You're Jason, I know. Rick and the others mentioned you often and said you're an incredible person, so I came to say hi because I was really curious."
"Well, I'm just an ordinary person, not as great as they say."
"I don't believe that. You can say anything, and people listen to you—that means you've already gotten into their hearts, doesn't it?"
Maybe those words wouldn't mean much to others, but they did to Jason. This girl seemed lively, and her cheerful personality made people feel close to her in no time.
Elen had a good choice of words, and with just a few sentences, Jason felt at ease. He ended up chatting with her for a while.
Before long, he discovered that Elen was just a teenager. She constantly asked questions and, without realizing it, revealed that there was supposedly a guy who could save the world—but only if they sent him to Washington.
The two talked for more than ten minutes, and Elen was still full of energy, but soon someone came over and interrupted their conversation.
"Well, we'll talk again when things are calmer. You're awesome, Commander!"
Jason watched as Elen gave him a military salute. He figured she and Rick's group must've spent a good amount of time telling her all that, so he simply replied, "Oh, you too."
After saying goodbye to the chatty girl, his attention returned to Glenn, who was standing beside him.
"What's wrong?"
Glenn signaled to a few people to step aside and wait until they were done talking.
"Jason, we just searched the facility again and found this group's weapons arsenal. We've taken out everything. Want to know the rest?"
"What else did you find?"
"Those things were probably placed there by those overrated inhumans, but it's not that impressive compared to something else we came across."
As he said that, the few people behind Glenn looked indignant, a trace of anger showing on their faces.
"You know what? There were a lot of dolls and stuffed animals in that open space, but we didn't find any signs of children being around."
"Those beasts didn't even spare the kids!"
Jason already knew what had happened there, but at that moment he didn't know what to say—he could only give a few instructions.
"All right, get ready. We'll head back to central base after lunch."
"Why…?"
…
"Jason, can we talk?"
As soon as Glenn and the others left, Jason turned around and walked toward the RV, but then he heard Lori's voice calling him from behind.
Turning around, he saw her standing outside the car, her face pale—she looked extremely uncomfortable.
He wasn't in the mood to ask about her condition. He'd already done enough by not saying anything, so he stepped into the RV.
But obviously, Lori had no intention of giving up. She followed him inside, determined not to stop until she said what she needed to.
"I really need to talk to you. Can you give me a minute? For Rick's sake, please?"
"If I didn't kill you, it's because Rick is my friend. Otherwise, do you think you'd still be alive?"
Jason turned around only to see Lori kneeling on the floor, tears streaming down her face.
She had already done everything she needed to do. She hadn't slept all night and had spent her time writing as many letters as possible to her two children. Jason guessed that if she really was infected, the virus should already have spread throughout Lori's body by now—and weakness and fever were just a matter of time.
But Jason didn't want to ask. He simply stepped forward and helped Lori to her feet because the scene looked so strange. "You have one minute. Be quick."
"Thank you!"
Lori wasted no time and began to explain, speaking a little faster.
"I know you'll never forgive me, and I don't care if you can't understand. I know what I said to Derek while he was holding me hostage—and this is why."
As she said that, Lori pulled up her sleeve, exposing her shoulder. A black wound appeared before Jason's eyes.
"It's what I was afraid of… you're infected."
Lori sat on a chair, tears welling in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry. I know this is foolish, but I had to buy some time to write letters to my children, in case I don't make it. All this time, I just wanted Rick and our kids to have a better life. I just want to ask you not to take your anger out on my family—they're innocent."
"Go to Rick. Cherish the time you have left. I won't say anything."
"No, please promise me you won't involve my husband and children. Please. I'm already dead—I don't want to worry about them before I die."
At that moment, Lori had completely given up her dignity. She knelt on the floor, clutching Jason's leg, crying uncontrollably.
"Wow, Lori, even after being bitten, you still don't understand me. Do you really think I'd blame Rick and his kids? In your mind, am I that kind of person? Your obsession with protecting your family blinds you to my intentions toward the people I choose to save."
After hearing that, Lori realized how foolish her words had been and quickly corrected herself.
"No, no, I mean—please, take care of them. I didn't mean it that way, please believe me!"
"Hey… fine, you have my word."
Seeing Lori so weak, he finally gave up on being cold. Otherwise, too many things would spiral out of control. What could he do? Shoot Lori and then try to explain it to an unreasonable Rick?
If he did, he'd have to deal with Rick too—and that would be too great a loss in this world. So, since Lori would die eventually, he buried that anger and didn't press further.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
Her mood was extremely unstable, and since she hadn't eaten and seemed feverish, Lori fainted shortly after.
Jason sighed when he saw this. He stood up and laid Lori on the bed in the back of the modified RV.
"Morgan, call Rick."
…
"No! No! Why? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Rick collapsed, sitting beside Lori. At that moment, Lori had also woken up, and the two held each other, crying.
Shane stood nearby, his expression complicated. Usually, he had a sharp tongue, but now he couldn't utter a single word.
"We have the equipment to cryogenically preserve Lori's body to try to revive her later—at least until we find a cure…" Jason thought as he closed his eyes.
There was a large group of people outside, all with sadness on their faces. Carol, who had known Lori, couldn't help but cry.
Even though the people from Washington didn't know Lori, they all felt a bit of sympathy for situations like this.
Especially Negan, who hugged his wife and looked toward the modified RV with compassion. He didn't know Rick, but that didn't stop him from empathizing with the man's pain. If he ever faced something like that himself, he didn't even want to imagine what he'd do.
…
To fulfill Lori's final wish, the convoy left the terminal earlier than planned and headed toward the central base so Lori could see Carl and Judith one last time.
Negan was sitting in the tanker truck since there was a bed in the back, which made it easier for Lucille to rest—and because of that, he got a comfortable seat.
Lucille was in a good mood that day. She and Negan sat side by side in the passenger seat, while Glenn drove.
"That woman was unlucky. Since she got bitten, all she can do now is wait to die slowly. Negan, if one day I also…"
"Enough! I won't let that happen! You're not disappearing from my world without my permission, understand?"
"Ah, fine."
Glenn said sadly, "Lori's been in my group since the world ended. So much time has passed in the blink of an eye. Even though lately I've disagreed with her behavior, what's going to happen to her kids?"
"They have a kid?"
"Well, a boy and a girl."
Hearing that, Lucille unconsciously placed her hand on her stomach. Though she didn't have children yet, she was already pregnant—which made her empathize more with Lori's experience.
Suddenly, Negan's eyes widened, and an exclamation escaped his mouth.
"Holy shit! What the hell is that?"