Since the meeting ended, everyone had gathered in the plaza. When they heard Jason's words, everyone wore a happy smile on their faces. This was what the people at the base needed — words of inspiration to strengthen their spirit.
"You're the Jason I know. I never thought we'd make it this far when I first met you," said Tyler with a smile, watching Jason step down from the stage.
"And I never thought that day you'd decide to follow me. If it weren't for your computer skills, I wouldn't have been able to achieve all of this." Jason greeted his friend, the first one who decided to trust in his crazy ideas.
"Come on, let's eat. It's been a while since we last saw each other." Tyler smiled and dragged his friend toward a table.
...
In a corner of the first row, Rick also came out with Carl and Judith. The family, who hadn't seen each other for several days, naturally felt better. He probably wanted to make his son happy, so he left the room to take part in this gathering.
Jason also noticed Rick's presence, and as it happened, Rick looked back. The two nodded at each other as a greeting.
Soon, two people stepped onto the stage — Andrea and Guillermo. These two, unafraid to stand before a crowd, took the stage to act as tonight's hosts.
But after all, it was the end of the world, so things couldn't be too cheerful; it was hard to find people with enough humor to spread happiness.
Standing on stage in a costume, Guillermo felt an inexplicable sense of joy. He usually liked to joke with people, and now laughter burst from the audience even before he opened his mouth.
"Alright, alright, don't laugh at me so much! I'm serious — I'll leave you all without meat for a month!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Okay, for those who don't know me, I'm the captain in charge of managing food and weapons, so now you know who decides what you'll be eating tomorrow!"
The two had an entertaining act, and when the atmosphere reached the right tone, Guillermo lowered his hands and adopted a more formal expression.
"Today, this meeting we rarely hold is to welcome the more than five hundred people who arrived this past month. Friends from Washington, I hope you can feel at home as soon as possible."
"After those great words from our commander — although you won't see him very often — he is the leader of everything we've built. So let me introduce you to the head of communications, who, by the way, is currently trying to connect with a satellite to determine the world's overall state — Tyler Thorpe."
"What?" asked Tyler, who was pushed onto the stage by Jason.
After that, several people carried out some activities to liven up the mood. Though it wasn't anything impressive, no one cared at this moment.
When the party was about to end, someone approached Jason — it was Abraham.
"Hey, thanks for your hospitality. My name is—"
"Abraham, I know."
Looking at the people behind Abraham, they were all familiar faces, though their expressions were clearly different. Jason could probably guess what everyone was thinking, but Abraham interrupted the words he was about to say.
"Then you should have heard where we're going."
"Yes, I probably know…"
"Then let me explain it in detail…"
He once again spoke about the salvation of Washington, then looked at Jason silently, waiting for a response.
Eugene was panicking at that moment. He knew things had reached this point, and he was just one step away from having the truth revealed. But this place was so wonderful that he had already abandoned the idea of going to Washington in his mind, and now he was nervous mainly because he didn't know how to face Abraham and Rosita afterward.
Jason, who had been listening quietly, thought for a moment before slowly speaking. "I've been too busy these past few days, sorry, I haven't had time to deal with this matter. But today really isn't the right moment to talk about it. Let's discuss it tomorrow morning. What do you think? If it's as important as you say, I'll consider authorizing a helicopter trip to Washington."
"There are many complex things happening right now. You're military, so your skills are highly needed here. You must know we have much more than we appear to, and from the defenses you've seen, you should understand what we're protecting ourselves from."
"We'll have a talk tomorrow. Enjoy tonight…"
Just as Abraham was about to ask something else, Andrea's voice came from the stage.
"Everyone, tonight's party is coming to an end. Next, we'll invite our commander once again to say a few final words."
Jason looked at Abraham with an apologetic expression. The other man shook his head helplessly, realizing he could only give up for now.
Jason stepped onto the stage. "I really hope everyone feels calmer now. I know the feelings running through your minds right now, so I hope you can feel this place as your home when the time comes."
"Of course!"
"We're grateful!"
Jason smiled slightly and continued. "Next, our friend T-dog will sing a song to brighten the night. I hope you all enjoy this day and have a pleasant rest."
As he left the stage, T-dog began to sing, and then the party finally came to an end. Everyone, full of food and wine, returned to their rooms.
"I thought you were going to sing, boss. I almost cried with excitement," said George with a smile, holding a camera in his hands.
"What are you doing with that?" Jason asked, a bit confused.
"Well, I'm filming a movie. Who knows? Maybe in the future walkers will be nothing more than mythological creatures, and if I record a movie, my grandchildren could earn a fortune from it." George held the camera, continuing to film without stopping.
"Hahaha, then make sure to get some good shots of me."
"Of course, boss."
Jason could tell that everyone seemed to have released many pent-up emotions, and even Rick's spirit appeared to have improved a lot.
"Good, Rick. I don't need you if you can't crawl out of that dark hole," Jason muttered, watching Rick recover. In the original story, he kept going because his son needed him, so Jason didn't know if the same thing would happen here.