We made it to the front gates of Woodbury and waited for our promised vehicle to be delivered.
It didn't take long before a black sedan rolled up to us, its tires kicking up a quiet cloud of dust in its wake.
The driver was not one I recognized—a younger guy with dark hair and a grease-stained t-shirt.
He turned off the engine, opened the door, and stepped out onto the gravel.
He approached us slowly, his hands held up high in a peaceful gesture before extending one out in a handshake position.
"Hey, I'm Reyes," he said, eyeing the five of us and the bloody mess lying at our boots.
"Markus said you requested a vehicle?"
I stepped forward and shook his hand, my grip firm. "Markus?" I asked.
"The guy with the flannel shirt?"
"Ah, yeah." Reyes nodded, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "That's him."
"Yeah, we did. We can't exactly take the Governor all the way back to our settlement on foot, can we?" I said, jerking my chin down toward the unconscious body on the dirt.
"Yeah, I suppose you can't," Reyes agreed, looking at the Governor with a mix of disgust and sheer relief. "Here's the keys."
He pulled a heavy metal key ring out of his pocket and handed it over.
I grabbed the keys, feeling the cold metal against my palm.
"Thanks, Reyes," I said. "We appreciate it."
I turned back to the rest of the crew, eyeing the heavy trunk of the sedan. "Rick, Merle, toss the Governor inside the trunk."
"With pleasure," Merle said.
He proceeded to pop the latch on the back, and the two of them grabbed the Governor by his arms and legs, lifting his dead weight without a shred of care.
They dumped him inside like a sack of rotted potatoes.
His head hit the spare tire well with a dull thud, and Merle slammed the heavy trunk lid shut, locking him in the dark.
"That oughta keep him quiet for the ride," Merle grunted, slapping the dusty metal hood.
I opened the driver's door and climbed inside the driver's seat, adjusting the rear-view mirror and settling into the worn leather.
Daryl claimed shotgun, sliding his crossbow down between his knees and rolling his window halfway down.
Shane climbed in the back seat, taking the left window, followed by Rick and Merle, who finished executing the order and squeezed in beside him.
I stuck the key into the ignition and turned the engine on.
The motor sputtered once, then roared to life with a low, steady hum.
But before I could shift into drive and roll away, Reyes called out to me through the open window.
"Hey!" he said, stepping closer to the driver's side.
I turned to him, resting my wrist on the top of the steering wheel.
Reyes rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at his boots for a second before meeting my eyes.
"We're really thankful for what you guys did," he said, his voice quiet. "Or rather... for what you didn't do."
He let out a long sigh, looking back over his shoulder at the open gates of Woodbury.
"It was rather obvious that with the Governor's psychotic behavior, we would have been retaliated against sooner if not later," Reyes admitted, shaking his head.
"If he kept doing what he did, someone eventually would've come and burned this place to the ground with all of us inside. We're just glad it was you guys that did this first. Otherwise... we would have died without even knowing how."
I looked at him for a long second, taking in the exhausted, honest look on his face.
I prided myself on being able to spot who lied from who's being honest, and he was definitely the latter.
I sighed, letting go of the steering wheel, and rubbed my face with my palm, feeling the rough stubble on my chin.
"Look, man, we're all doing what we can to stay alive in this fucked up world, but there has to be certain lines one simply cannot cross. Something your leader—or rather, ex-leader—did not heed. Just... just keep your hands clean," I told him, looking him straight in the eye.
"Or as clean as you can in this new world. Don't let another bastard like him take the wheel."
Reyes nodded repeatedly, taking the advice in. "Yeah... yeah, we will. Markus is stepping up for now, and I don't think the others will disagree either. We're setting up a council. No more single leaders."
"Probably for the best." I nodded, shifting the car into gear. "Keep safe, you guys. We'll see you in about a week after you've sorted everything out."
"Safe travels," Reyes said, stepping back onto the gravel shoulder and waving his hand.
I hit the gas and the black sedan surged forward, rolling past the open gates of Woodbury and hitting the main asphalt road.
"Finally," Merle muttered from the back.
"We don't have to deal with Woodbury... for now, at least," I said, causing him to groan and making the rest chuckle at his antics. "But hey, look at the bright side," I said, looking at him through the rear-view.
"We don't need to worry about another force hitting us blind."
"Yeah," Merle snorted softly. "Guess you're right."
And with that, the silence fell, and I returned my attention fully to the road ahead.
(To be continued...)