Behind me, everyone stared at the vehicle. Understandable. The armored Humvee towered over them, and the mounted machine gun didn't help.
The first person to step out was Chicken.
"My Lord, I'm sorry for being late."
The regret in his voice was unmistakable.
The rest of the group climbed out behind him, and my first thought was: What the hell happened to them?
Everyone looked wrecked. Except for Lydia, they were all badly injured. Jerry was the worst. One side of his face was so swollen and bruised that he could barely open his eye.
Chicken approached and lowered his voice.
"My Lord, can I speak with you in private?"
His eyes briefly shifted toward the people behind me.
I nodded, then looked over at Daryl.
"They're part of my group. We got separated. If you're willing, could they stay for one night?"
Daryl hesitated, studying the injured survivors.
"Three more injured people." Maggie's voice was low, but I heard every word. "What are we supposed to do now?"
She wasn't wrong. Medical supplies were already dangerously low.
She looked ready to say more but stopped herself.
"We can't treat them," Daryl finally said. "But they can stay one night."
The others seemed to agree.
"Thank you."
Daryl didn't answer. He grabbed the TNT and headed toward the prison without another word.
---
After seeing to Kate's injury and handing over the elderberries, I made my way back to my cell. Everyone was waiting there, including the priest.
"My Lord."
They spoke in unison, their heads dipping slightly.
"Alright. Tell me what happened."
Silence.
The only sound was the scratching of the priest's pen.
Chicken stepped forward.
"My Lord, while we were waiting for the road to clear, a man came sprinting toward our vehicle with a horde of walkers right behind him. We pulled him in. His name was the Governor. He said he ran a community called Woodbury."
Woodbury.
The Governor.
Both names landed harder than I expected.
"We stayed there for one night," Chicken continued. "Andrea wanted to form an alliance, so she spent the morning talking with him. But Dee had other ideas."
He looked at Dee.
She hesitated. Her daughter clung tightly to her waist.
I kept my eyes on Dee and waited.
"I was suspicious of him from the start," she said quietly. "He was too perfect. Too generous. When I found out he never let anyone into his apartment, I snuck in while he was having coffee with Andrea."
She paused.
"I searched his office. He wasn't scavenging like he told his people. He was stealing from other survivors. Murdering them for their supplies."
Her voice dropped lower.
"But that wasn't the worst of it. There was a hidden room behind a door in his office."
She stopped. Lydia held on even tighter.
The priest had set down his pen.
"You found his collection of heads," I said. "And his dead daughter. Did you find anything else?"
I didn't bother pretending I hadn't known. At this point, that kind of knowledge only reinforced what they believed about me, and I'd already accepted that role.
Judging by what happened next, it worked.
Everyone dropped to their knees.
Even Lydia.
"Get up," I said. "Tell me the rest."
They rose quickly, but the shock in their eyes didn't fade.
"The Governor got suspicious and sent his men to the apartment," Dee continued. "I threatened to burn the building down, and they backed off. Sir Chicken took the Governor hostage, but the Governor had the rest of our group hostage too. We negotiated. He agreed to let everyone go except me."
She paused.
"Then he tried to kill Sir Chicken anyway."
She exhaled slowly.
"We thought that was it. But an unknown woman attacked Woodbury. She had a large scar across her face. In the chaos, we escaped."
An unknown woman with a scar.
That was new.
Friend or enemy?
I couldn't say yet.
But I'd find out.
"Is the Governor still alive?"
Dee nodded.
So he was.
I could deal with him. Killing him would be easy enough, but not now. I didn't have time to hunt him down.
A few more days wouldn't change much.
I glanced around the room.
If everything stayed on track, Rick should be arriving today. I already had the treatment for the disease. Once I learned the truth about my father, I could finally stop all of this.
"There's one more thing, Lord."
I looked back at Dee.
"The Governor was planning to take this prison. It was in his files. He'll come here eventually."
Well, that saved me the trouble.
I understood the appeal. Metal gates, reinforced fences, concrete walls, watchtowers—the prison was as close to impregnable as anything left standing.
Of course he wanted it.
We spent the next half hour going over everything: what had happened while they were gone, the decisions made in their absence, and what came next.
I made sure they understood the quarantine situation and warned them to stay well clear of anyone who might be infected.
They nodded.
---
Maggie was waiting the moment I stepped out of the infirmary.
"How much time does he have?"
"Not much. You need to move before I'm forced to take the leg."
She said nothing.
She looked at Carol and Daryl.
They both understood.
"We leave tomorrow morning," Daryl said. "Rick might be back by then. We could use the extra hands."
Then he headed off to prepare.
Carol turned to me.
"Are you okay, Max? I heard there was trouble when you were out picking berries."
"I'm fine," I said, keeping it short.
"Can you tell us anything about that woman?" Maggie asked.
"Not much. I know her name. I know she got separated from her family. That's all."
The two women exchanged a glance—the kind that meant there was a question neither wanted to ask first.
Maggie finally spoke.
"Max... who are those people? What's your relationship with them? Why do they call you Lord?"
I'd never liked lying.
Lies had a way of catching up with you.
"I can't explain why they call me that," I said. "Even if I did, you probably wouldn't believe me."
I paused.
"But they won't hurt you. I can promise you that."
Maggie wasn't satisfied. I could see it plainly.
Still, she nodded and let it go.
She glanced at Carol, and Carol stepped forward.
"Max, this mission is going to be dangerous. Would your people be willing to lend us the Humvee?"
She hesitated briefly.
"I know you've already done more than enough. We're asking for one more favor."
Both of them looked at me.
"One condition," I said.
"Name it," Maggie replied immediately.
From the look on her face, she would have agreed to almost anything for Glenn's sake.
"I come with you."
Carol's expression changed instantly.
"Absolutely not. It's too dangerous. Why would you even want to—"
"You'll need me," I interrupted. "I can identify the right medicine, and I can fight. You've seen that yourself."
Carol hesitated.
She had.
And I appreciated the concern behind her refusal, even if I didn't fully understand it.
"Fine," Maggie said, deliberately avoiding Carol's gaze. "You're coming."
Carol threw her hands into the air.
"Do whatever you want."
Then she walked away without looking back.