Chapter 98

- Narrator -

«How did this happen?» Xenon asked with a frown. He'd be lying to say he wasn't expecting something like this to happen. So far, he was able to keep a tight leash on Dale who tends to think he is right above everyone else. He was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it seems Dale didn't want the chance in the first place.

Xenon was not particularly mad that the other group would find out about them now. In fact, the only reason he didn't wish to engage them yet was that he didn't think their group was mentally prepared yet. That they might hesitate on pulling the trigger should push come to shove against fellow humans, especially the recruits. When it comes to raw power, the governor stood no chance against them.

«Well...» Jim scratched the back of his head. «He said he was going out to get some fresh air, look around the base for anomalies... But he never came back.»

«That easy, huh...» Xenon shook his head wryly. «Looking around isn't Dale's job.»

«I know, I know... It just didn't seem right to tell him off.» Jim confessed though it was evident his failure was getting to him.

«It's not that bad, honestly.» Xenon shrugged. «If anything, I hope Dale went to Woodbury's group. But next time, don't allow anyone outside if he has no business being there.» Jim nodded, before dismissing himself.

«Merle, what is the first thing the governor will do if Dale tells him about us?» Xenon asked though it seems like he wasn't expecting an answer.

«He'd send people to check you out first, see if you're out of his league.» Merle shrugged, looking around curiously, having judged himself that the governor would most likely avoid alienating them. «He's a practical man.»

«But he has no reason to see us as enemies, right?» Xenon added. «He doesn't know for sure we're the ones who killed him men, nor does he have reason to believe we know they were his men, right?»

Merle was silent for a moment, as he understood what Xenon was getting it. It seems he still underestimated the kid if he was already planning the best ways to kill the governor. He was starting to like him...

«That's right.» He confirmed.

«Do you know what that means?» Xenon stopped and turned to look at him, drawing puzzled looks from the others. «The fact you're here shouldn't get out. That means you need to stay behind closed doors twenty-four seven.» Merle was about to protest, but Xenon didn't give him the time.

«Shane, get him one of the rooms on the other end of the prison, give him something to do, and lock him up.» Xenon just walked off, letting the others deal with him themselves. He trusted Shane's judgment to keep Merle away from the group, his aggressive nature would do more bad than good in a social setting. Perhaps he'd pair him up with Daryl in the future, or find him a job better suited to his personality.

- Philip Blake -

Saying that he was angry would be an understatement. The governor was livid at the news, that he's just lost half of his manpower in a single outing. They were only able to confirm it three days after they backtracked their steps. They found the bodies of almost all the people involved in that mission, yet not a single casualty from the other side. Even worse was the two cars that had been blown up by high caliber weapons, obviously a machine gun. Was it a stray military group they were targetting? It certainly didn't seem so from Fernando and Felipe's description.

They were in a terrible position right now. In fact, he was tempted to stop attacking people outside of their base for a while and start recruiting instead. They'd take months just to recover from this loss, as they were far too invested in those solar panels. They had some of them at Woodbury, but they weren't enough.

Thankfully, good news finally came. After spending a week with them, the new member of their group, Dale, admitted to him that he came from another group, and was here to gauge if their group was trustworthy enough so that they could ally with them.

It may appear as a blessing, but from what Dale has told him, he could never be sure. From his description, their leader Xenon was an extremely pragmatic, exceedingly paranoid young man. The fact that he convinced the whole group, Dale included, that he was worthy of being given the leadership position when he was no older than sixteen spoke volumes of the kind of person he was.

Needless to say, he needed to judge their strength for himself before he took any action that involved them. From his understanding, the group was composed of extremely capable men, a very organized leadership coming from Xenon and the people he went to for counsel.

Judging from early reports, it is impossible to annex a group as large as theirs, a foolish endeavor no matter which angle you looked at it from. If anything, it would be a walk in the park for them to bully them into joining their larger, far stronger group.

However, Philip was not willing to give up the freedom, privilege, and prestige that came with his position, something he knew he would have no say in should Xenon take over. And following a boy old enough to be his child left a bad taste in his mouth, as he is sure the rest of his people would feel.

This means his only option was to ally himself with them while keeping their groups separated, something he's sure the other side would understand. But the question is, what could they offer them in this alliance? Truthfully? Nothing.

They had nothing of value to give them. If it came to food, the prison group was objectively superior to them since they've set up a constant source of food. Weapons? They hardly had enough themselves, and from his various discussions with Dale, their group didn't even rely on weapons to deal with walkers.

He admitted that they had various techniques and strategies to deal with walkers, but he was unwilling to reveal them as they all originated from Xenon, and he knew Xenon is already condemning him for leaving the group with nobody's permission, and he had no intention of digging himself a bigger hole.

«Are you sure they'd be willing to talk?» Philip remarked as he poured whiskey for the both of them. «You said he is extremely paranoid, that your past experience with strangers developed a phobia from anyone outside of the group.»

«That may be the case for some of the people, yes.» Dale nodded, taking a sip of his glass. «But Xenon is different. He doesn't fear anyone outside, merely wishes to avoid any conflict for as long as possible. He is focusing on developing the group for now. But...» Dale was hesitant for a while before Philip urged him to continue.

«It might be better if I vouch for you first.» Dale sighed, dreading the day he'd have to meet his fellow friends after he *stabbed* them in the back.

«You don't have to do it if you don't want to.» Philip comforted him, realizing his reluctance. Funnily, his words had the desired effect as they've strengthened Dale's conviction.

«No... I need to do it. I'm sure they'll forgive me eventually. I just needed to prove to them that not everyone is evil.» Philip was chuckling internally, knowing full well he would've screwed them ten times over if he could.

«I'll send someone with you, just in case.» Philip said. «And remember, you're always welcome at Woodbury.»