Price looked down the row of cells for another moment before turning toward Gaz.
"They stay here for now."
Gaz gave a small nod.
"We'll have men sent over to guard the cells."
Price nodded.
"Make sure they're properly secured. No one gets in or out without permission."
"Understood."
Price looked back toward the prisoners.
"Once the town is fully secured, they'll be transported out and put on trial."
Manning stared at him through the bars.
"A trial?"
Price gave him a brief look.
"That's generally how these things work."
Manning clenched his jaw, but Price had already turned away.
He looked toward Ghost and Soap.
"Let's get back outside. We've still got a settlement to secure."
Ghost nodded.
Soap glanced once more toward the prisoners before following Price.
Merle remained behind for a moment, looking at the men in the cells with a crooked grin.
"Guess we'll be seeing less of each other."
He turned and followed the others down the corridor.
Walking out of the building, they made their way back toward the main gate, where they noticed that a crowd had begun gathering nearby.
Several residents stood along the street, while others had gathered closer to the gate where the disarmed militia members were being held.
The militia had their hands tied behind their backs, with Marines keeping watch over them.
Some of the residents stood at a distance, clearly hesitant to get any closer.
Others were more vocal.
"They can't just do this!"
"Those are our people!"
"Let them go!"
Price slowed as he approached the crowd.
People began moving out of his way as he walked toward them. Most kept their distance, their eyes following the soldiers cautiously.
Several of them looked particularly uneasy when Ghost passed by.
His skull mask drew more than a few nervous glances, with some residents quickly looking away whenever he turned in their direction.
Others kept eyeing Merle, seemingly unsure why he was walking alongside the soldiers.
Price ignored the looks and continued toward the gate.
The crowd grew louder as he approached.
"We don't want you here!"
"Leave our people alone!"
Price raised a hand.
"Alright. What's all this about?"
The shouting gradually died down.
An older man stepped forward from the crowd.
He looked toward the militia, then back at Price.
"We want our people released."
Price glanced toward the tied-up militia.
"They were armed and part of the settlement's security."
"They're our friends and family," the man replied. "You can't just tie them up and treat them like criminals."
A few people around him nodded in agreement.
The older man looked toward the soldiers surrounding the gate.
"We've already had soldiers do whatever they wanted with us. We don't want to live under the boot of soldiers again."
The crowd murmured in agreement.
Price remained quiet for a moment, taking in the faces around him.
He could see the fear behind some of their anger.
They weren't simply protesting the detention of the militia.
They were afraid of what might come next.
Price raised his voice slightly, making sure those around him could hear.
"Alright, everyone. Listen up."
The crowd gradually quieted.
"We're aware of what happened while military personnel were in charge of this settlement. The people responsible for that will be prosecuted and properly punished."
He paused, looking across the crowd.
"We're not here to occupy Woodbury or impose our will on you. We're trying to get things back under control and get things working again."
Price gestured toward the settlement around them.
"We've retaken most of Atlanta. We've established safe settlements and farms, and we're working on rebuilding."
Several residents listened quietly, though some still looked toward the militia members being held near the gate.
A man near the front raised his voice.
"Then why did you sneak soldiers into Woodbury?"
A few people murmured in agreement.
Price looked toward him.
"Because of our little friend, the Governor, had different intentions."
The crowd became quieter.
Price continued.
"We had reason to believe he was planning something that could have put people at risk. We weren't going to wait around and see how it played out."
He glanced toward the detained militia.
"So we dealt with it before anyone got hurt."
Price continued .
"Woodbury will be integrated along with the other settlements, and—"
"The biters are out!"
A teenage boy suddenly ran out of a nearby alley, breathing heavily.
"Someone released the biters!"
The crowd immediately erupted into panic.
People began shouting and pushing past one another, some turning toward the streets while others grabbed hold of their children.
"What?"
"They're out?"
"Get inside!"
Price looked toward the boy as the commotion spread through the crowd.
Soap stepped closer to him.
"He must mean walkers."
Price gave a small nod.
"Looks like it."
He approached the boy.
"Show us where they are."
The boy hesitated, glancing back toward the alley he had come from.
For a moment, he seemed unsure whether he should go back.
Then he nodded.
"Come on."
The boy turned and began leading them away from the main part of the settlement.
Price followed, with Soap, Ghost, Gaz, and two marines close behind.
They passed several buildings and turned onto a quieter street. The sounds of frightened residents gradually became more distant behind them.
The boy continued toward the edge of Woodbury, eventually approaching what appeared to be a construction site.
Several wooden frames for houses stood scattered across the unfinished area, some little more than partially completed walls.
Price slowed as they reached the edge of the site.
Between the wooden structures, several shambling figures could be seen moving slowly through the unfinished buildings.
Walkers.
Soap looked across the site.
"Well, there they are."
Price studied them for a moment.
"Right."
Price looked at the boy.
"Alright. You did the right thing telling us."
He pointed back toward the buildings they passed.
"Now get back. Find somewhere safe and stay there until we deal with this."
The boy nodded quickly.
"Okay."
He turned and ran back.
Price watched him disappear before turning to the others.
"Alright. Let's clear them out."
Soap, Ghost, and Gaz nodded, while the two Marines checked their weapons.
The group began moving toward the construction site, keeping their voices low as they approached the unfinished houses.
Price raised a hand, bringing everyone to a stop.
They remained quiet, carefully scanning between the wooden frames and partially built structures.
One walker emerged from behind a wall.
Then another.
Price slowly looked across the site, making sure they hadn't missed any.
The group continued watching for several seconds.
Gaz quietly counted them.
"Seven."
Price gave a small nod.
"Alright. Seven walkers."
He looked over the construction site once more.
"No others?"
Ghost slowly shook his head.
Price lowered his hand.
"Let's take them."
The group slowly advanced through the wooden frames of the unfinished houses, weapons ready as they searched for the nearest walkers.
They had only taken a few more steps when a gunshot suddenly rang out.
A bullet struck the wooden pillar a Marine had just passed, sending splinters flying.
Everyone immediately reacted.
Price ducked behind the nearest frame as another shot rang out.
The walkers reacted as well, turning toward the sudden noise and beginning to shamble in their direction.
"Contact!"
Gunfire erupted across the construction site.
Price quickly looked toward the direction of the shots.
"One shooter!"
The individual was firing from somewhere among the unfinished buildings, forcing the soldiers to split their attention between the gunman and the approaching walkers.
"Take the walkers!" Price shouted.
Soap and Ghost immediately moved forward, firing at the nearest walkers.
The second Marine followed them, opening fire as well.
Whatever stealth they had planned was gone.
Gunshots echoed through the construction site as the walkers were quickly cut down.
Price, Gaz, and the first Marine returned fire toward the shooter.
Rounds struck the wooden frames around the individual, forcing them to duck behind cover.
Price kept firing, advancing between the wooden structures whenever he had an opening.
The shooter was now being outnumbered and was struggling to keep them back.
"Push!"
Price, Gaz, and the Marine began moving forward.
The shooter suddenly broke from cover and threw something toward them.
"Grenade!"
The Marine's warning came just before the grenade landed several metres away.
Price immediately dropped behind cover.
The explosion shook the unfinished structures, throwing dust and debris into the air.
The grenade had landed roughly seven metres from them, but the distance and surrounding cover had greatly reduced its effect.
Price looked up.
The shooter was gone.
"They're running!"
Price caught sight of the figure disappearing between the unfinished buildings.
"Move!"
While Soap and Ghost continued dealing with the remaining walkers, Price, Gaz, and the Marine pushed after the fleeing shooter.
They followed her through the construction site and out toward another part of Woodbury.
The individual continued running, apparently heading toward a small stadium visible farther ahead.
It hadn't managed to get far.
Price raised his weapon.
"Stop!"
The individual kept running.
A burst of gunfire followed.
The person stumbled and collapsed before it could reach the stadium.
Price, Gaz, and the Marine approached cautiously, weapons still trained on the body.
As they got closer, Price recognized the person.
It was the woman Merle had described.
The one who had arrived with the group that procured the weapons and equipment they had given to the Governor.
••••••
Meanwhile, in Macon, Andrew walked along the perimeter of Stone Mountain High School, looking over the newly completed defenses.
For the time being, the high school had been turned into the headquarters for the forces operating in Macon.
The perimeter had been reinforced with HESCO barriers, forming a solid defensive wall around the school grounds. Watch positions had been established along the wall, with soldiers stationed throughout the perimeter.
Andrew walked slowly along the inside of the defenses, a stack of reports held in his hands.
Most of them concerned the ongoing cleanup operations throughout Macon.
The number of walkers in the city was high.
And they couldn't simply deal with them the same way they had in Atlanta.
While using firearms for every walker would consume far too much ammunition.
So they had resorted to a more practical method.
Squads of soldiers equipped with protective gear, most of them wearing reinforced riot gear, were being sent into areas with large concentrations of walkers.
They operated in two lines.
The first line carried heavy shields and advanced slowly, keeping the walkers at a distance and preventing them from breaking through.
Behind them, the second line moved forward whenever an opening appeared, using melee weapons to strike the walkers in the head.
It was slower than simply shooting them.
But it conserved ammunition.
And with the number of walkers spread throughout Macon, every round mattered.
Andrew lowered the reports slightly as he looked toward the school grounds.
The cleanup was going to take time.
There was no easy way around it.
A moment later, a Humvee entered the compound and came to a stop in the parking lot.
Andrew looked at several soldiers stepping out of the vehicle.
He walked toward them.
Without wasting any time, he asked,
"What is the situation?"
One of the soldiers turned toward him.
"Sir, from the looks of it, the base was compromised from inside."
Andrew considered the report for a moment.
Because people hid their infections,Most likely.
He looked back at the soldiers.
"Any signs of survivors?"
"Haven't found any yet, sir. But there's a good chance there are some. A lot of the buildings still appear to be locked."
Andrew nodded slowly.
"Alright. We'll get teams prepared to secure the air base. I will need a full report on the scouting mission. We're not going in blind. "