After driving a few miles, they had to stop near the city because Shane had run out of gas. With no vehicle nearby to siphon gas from, they decided to abandon it.
As they watched the RV fill up, they took the opportunity to transfer some supplies to their other vehicles. Gray used this time to move all the machine guns they had found into his new vehicle.
Before they drove away, Shane approached the Humvee, "Doc, do you mind riding in the RV? This guy and I need to have a private talk."
Dr. Jenner looked towards Gray, who just nodded. "Sure thing."
After about 15 minutes, they were back on the road.
Seeing the city of Atlanta in their rearview mirrors, the group exhaled in relief because they hadn't encountered a horde. Gray wanted to stop in the city to check on the Vatos group, but decided against it, 'Since we didn't meet them before this, it could get messy, besides, they might already be dead, no need to risk people for it.' He thought.
While they were driving, Gray kept thinking about how to introduce the group to the farm people, since this time they had a larger group, and he doubted Carl would get shot. 'Hershel was a veterinarian, and if I remember correctly, the big guy Otis was an EMT. Besides, their experience as ranchers would come in handy once I get enough gold for the Minecraft animals. They would be a great addition to the group. We already have a virologist, a mechanic, two cops, and two hunters. The group is starting to look perfect for survival...'
About an hour after Shane finally spoke, "Listen, I wanted to apologize about last night..."
Gray responded, "You finally cleared your mind?"
"Yeah... I put myself in Rick's shoes, and I found a new perspective on things," Shane continued. "He's like a brother to me, you know?"
Gray smiled. "That's good."
"So, what's the big plan for this prison of yours?" Shane asked, trying to make small talk.
Gray looked to his right, making eye contact with him. "I think it's the best place for us right now. It has enough space for the whole group and a fence around it, but I'm 95% sure it's overrun. I want to find a safe enough place to leave most of the group behind and take a few of us to clear it out."
"Who would go to clear it out?" Shane inquired.
Gray replied, "I was thinking Daryl, Merle, Rick, you, and me."
Shane argued back, "That's most of the fighters from the group. What if something goes wrong?"
"That's why I want to find a safe place first. We could wait a few days there, teaching them how to shoot, and once they're ready, we can go clear it out."
"You seem to have it all planned out," Shane said, looking toward the backseat. "We have enough guns and ammo to last us a while."
Gray nodded. "Yeah, we should be okay for a while, even if we teach the whole group how to shoot."
After a few minutes of silence, Shane continued the conversation. "Listen, about the Lori situation, I'd appreciate it if you kept it a secret for a while..."
Gray sighed. "I won't say a thing as long as you guys don't cause trouble for the group. And honestly, if you came clean to Rick about it, a weight would come off your chest. I mean, come on, the guy used to be a cop. If I figured it out, I'm sure he already knows about it but has decided not to say anything."
"Yeah, I don't know if I have it in me to even start that conversation..." Shane scratched his head and looked out the window.
Gray laughed, "I'm sure the opportunity will come up soon enough."
The convoy continued down the empty highway, engines rumbling through the Georgia countryside.
The RV led the way while the Humvee stayed near the center, followed by the pickup truck and the remaining cars they had managed to keep. For the first time since the world ended, the group actually looked organized.
Now and then, abandoned towns rolled by in the distance. Empty gas stations. Broken signs. Dead roads.
After another hour of driving, the RV honked its horn and slowed to a stop.
The convoy stopped behind it, and some of the drivers got out to check.
Dale went down and spoke to everyone, "Road's blocked ahead."
A pileup stretched across the two-lane road ahead. Several sedans had collided with a delivery truck, completely blocking the route. A few more abandoned vehicles sat scattered on the shoulders.
"Well," Merle's voice came through, "ain't that just beautiful."
Rick climbed onto a car first, scanning the area carefully. "Everybody, stay alert."
Gray got on top of the RV next, immediately checking the tree line, quiet. Too quiet.
A handful of walkers wandered near the wrecks, but nothing serious.
Daryl and Merle handled them quickly.
Shane looked at the blockade and sighed. "No way the RV squeezes through that."
"We move it," Gray replied.
Shane blinked. "Move it?"
Gray pointed around the convoy. "We have, what, fifteen people now? A truck, chains, tools, and enough manpower. This isn't impossible anymore."
That seemed to flip a switch in everyone's heads. Back at the Atlanta camp, they would've panicked. Now, they got to work.
Daryl hooked chains between vehicles while T-Dog and Morales cleared debris from the road. Rick coordinated people moving luggage and loose wreckage aside. Even Merle surprisingly helped after Gray promised him more cigarettes later.
Within thirty minutes, the first car was dragged off the road. Then another. Then another.
The blockade slowly opened.
Meanwhile, Glenn, Jim, and Dale started siphoning gas from the abandoned vehicles while Andrea, Amy, and Jacqui searched trunks for supplies.
Gray used the downtime to quietly step away from the group and open his system window.
His current map radius was painfully small for what he needed.
Without hesitation, he dumped gold into the upgrade.
[System Upgrade]
{Integrated Map - Level 5} (50,000 Gold) ✔
[New Features Unlocked]
50 Mile Radius
Terrain Mapping
Structure Detection
GPS
The moment the upgrade completed, Gray froze.
A massive map extended inside his mind, roads, forests, small towns, and buildings, it felt like a drone feed layered directly over reality.
"...Holy shit!" He focused down south, almost immediately, a large green property appeared, farm structures were on it, a windmill, barn, fences, and a large two-story house.
Gray grinned, "Found you." Hershel Greene's farm, taking out his map, he circled the location on it.
He immediately opened the terrain overlay and checked the surrounding area, natural fencing, freshwater source, open sightlines, safe and perfect for now.
Gray walked back towards the group just as Shane and Rick finished clearing the final wreck.
"Found the safe place I talked about," Gray announced.
Rick wiped sweat from his forehead. "I thought we were going to this prison. Did you change your mind?"
"Not exactly," Gray pulled out his map and showed it to them, "Shane and I had a talk, and the safest place I could find was this farm, it has enough open space to teach the group how to handle guns and defend themselves," he continued, "we can stay there for a few days while a few of us go clear out the prison."
Shane raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know this place is not overrun? For all we know, there could be hundreds of walkers roaming around that place."
Gray smirked slightly. "I guess you'll just have to trust me."
Merle barked out a laugh when he got closer. "Boy's got my vote, he hasn't been wrong since he joined the group."
Nobody argued much after that, not after Atlanta, not after the camp attack. At this point, Gray had earned enough trust for people to follow his lead.
The convoy started moving again, this time with Gray leading them.
The roads narrowed as they left the highway behind, eventually becoming long country roads lined with fields and trees. Carl and Sophia watched out of the car windows while Amy and Andrea talked quietly inside the RV.
Dr. Jenner spent most of the drive silently observing everyone, occasionally glancing toward the Humvee with growing curiosity.
After another half an hour, Gray finally pointed ahead.
The Greene farm appeared in the distance beneath the afternoon sun. A large farmhouse sat atop a hill surrounded by fenced fields and barns.
Several people were already outside.
One older man in suspenders stepped onto the porch the moment the convoy approached. Beside him stood a younger woman and a heavyset man holding a rifle.
Gray slowed the Humvee. Rick rolled down the window slowly.
And Hershel Greene watched the massive convoy arrive on his farm with cautious eyes.
Hershel Greene stepped off the porch slowly, hand on his shotgun, while Otis kept the rifle lowered but ready.
The entire convoy stretched across the dirt road leading to the farm.
Cars, the RV, the Humvee, and armed strangers. Too many strangers.
Hershel's eyes narrowed as he looked over the group, lingering on the children peeking out of the vehicles before settling on Rick.
"That's far enough," Hershel said cautiously.
Rick exchanged a glance with Gray and Shane before answering, "We're just looking for a safe place to stop for a bit."
Hershel looked around at the armed men, then at Merle leaning against the truck smoking like he owned the place. "That's a mighty large group for a short stop."
The younger woman beside Hershel, Maggie, crossed her arms while eyeing the convoy suspiciously.
Otis muttered, "Looks more like an army."
Gray stepped out from the group, keeping his hands visible. "We're not here to cause trouble."
Hershel looked directly at him. "Then what exactly are you here for?"
Before Gray could answer, more members of the convoy began stepping out.
Carol held Sophia's hand tightly, and Lori guided Carl closer to Rick. The Morales family also stepped out.
The sight of the children made Hershel hesitate slightly, still, his expression hardened again. "I've got family here," Hershel said firmly. "This farm ain't a refugee camp. You folks need to move along."
The words immediately raised tension. Shane stepped forward first. "Now hold on-"
Rick quickly put a hand out slightly to calm him before stepping ahead himself. "We understand your concern," Rick said carefully. "Truth is, we've been on the road a long time. We lost people already."
"And we'll lose more if we stay exposed out there," Shane added bluntly.
Hershel didn't budge. "That's unfortunate, but I can't risk my family over strangers."
Gray finally stepped forward beside Rick. "We're not asking to stay permanently."
That got Hershel's attention. Gray pointed toward the convoy behind them. "We already have somewhere else we're heading. A prison a few miles from here."
That immediately made Maggie stare at him like he was insane. "A prison?" she repeated.
"It has fences. Guard towers. Cells. Space for farming." He shrugged. "In this world, that's basically a fortress."
Hershel looked skeptical. "Then why aren't you there already?"
"Because it's almost definitely overrun," Gray answered honestly. "We need a safe place for a few days while some of us clear it out."
The farm grew quiet. Hershel looked over the group again, the exhaustion on people's faces, the dirt, the kids...For a second, his resolve visibly weakened.
Gray noticed immediately, "We can help while we're here," Gray continued. "Supplies too."
Gray pointed back toward the vehicles. "We've got medicine, tools, weapons, canned food. More than enough to trade."
"And manpower," Rick added. "Your fences need fixing, we can fix them. Walkers around your land? We'll clear them. We don't want charity."
Hershel looked taken aback, "Walkers? You mean people, sick people."
Gray stopped the group from saying anything, "Yeah, if you need help keeping them out we can help."
Hershel rubbed his jaw slowly, clearly conflicted. Maggie leaned closer to him. "Daddy..."
After a long moment, Hershel finally sighed. "A few days," he said reluctantly. "That's it."
A wave of relief spread through the group almost instantly.
Dale smiled, and Carol nearly looked ready to cry.
Glenn quietly whispered, "Thank God."
Merle smirked. "See? Boy's got a silver tongue."
Hershel immediately pointed toward him. "That one causes trouble, he's your problem."
Gray laughed lightly. "Fair enough." Then he glanced back toward the RV where Jenner was finally stepping out of, and Gray gestured toward him. "This is Dr. Edwin Jenner. He worked at the CDC in Atlanta."
That instantly got everyone's attention, even Hershel looked surprised.
"A doctor?" Patricia asked quietly from the porch.
Jenner stepped forward slowly. "Virologist."
Hershel studied him carefully, "Worked?" he asked.
Jenner nodded once, "Yeah, the CDC is gone."
Gray looked toward Hershel seriously. "Doc knows things about this disease nobody else does."
Finally, Hershel asked quietly, "What kind of things?"
Jenner hesitated for a second before speaking. "The truth."
Silence followed that answer, Gray continued carefully, "We think everyone here deserves to know what's happening. Really happening."