Chapter 65

- Xenon -

We've made good progress so far. The group's initial inhibition has significantly lowered since we started, and I can tell they are a bit more comfortable dealing with the walkers by now. Clearing the surroundings of the prison was a piece of cake, especially since nothing out of the ordinary happened. I took the front each time, prompting them to advance and squashing any hesitation they may have. It also allowed me to get more kills, and thus more EXP.

We used a wire-cutter to get through the first fence at the entrance of the prison first. I would feel comfortable so far away from our vehicles. Especially not with the number of resources they contained. Not that I was afraid somebody would steal them: the place was rather deserted. But we'd need them for a quick getaway just in case. We brought the cars in, before taking a break.

"Take fifteen minutes to rest. We'll continue afterward." Shane said as they all took seats by the cars.

I stood by the fence, looking at what is waiting for us. The number of walkers I could see in the mini-map is worrying, and I wasn't sure what was blocking them from joining their friends in the outer field. There had to be some kind of gate to stop the prisoners from going in and out. As this was a prison, I'd guess there would be a ton of those, and we should use them strategically to control the number of walkers we'll have to fight at a time. The longer we fought, the higher the probability of making mistakes.

"We can't just charge into them." I told them, as a plan of action formed in my head. "There are walkers inside the buildings that are still coming out because of the noise. We gotta close the gates inside first before we start cleaning up."

"We can all charge at it. Close it first, then eliminate the walkers inside." Theodore suggested.

"Or, one of us can go in as a walker, close all the gates, before we begin." Shane looked at me, hoping I'd get what he meant.

"What do you mean, go in as a walker?" Andrea tilted her head in confusion.

"We use the same strategy as we've done at the school." I nodded a Shane. "That's exactly what I was thinking. I can go in and scout ahead, close gates at the deepest levels. We can control the number of walkers we have to fight each time. It should be safer this way."

"I'll do it." Jim frowned at me. "You shouldn't be the only one to risk your life every time."

"He's right." Glenn nodded. "We're all in this. I'll go with him."

"As much as I appreciate the concern, I am the only person who has enough experience with it. I can guarantee nothing will happen to me." I reasoned. "You guys, on the other hand, have never done this before. Let me do it this time, and when we've got more time on our hands, I'll show you how it's done so you can get some practice on the technique."

"Alright." Shane interrupted the argument before it continued. "But the moment something goes wrong, come running straight at us, we'll use the guns to cover you."

"Agreed." I nodded.

**- Xenon -**

I slowly entered the field in walker attire. I've had plans to use dried skin for a while now, but I haven't found the time yet, unfortunately. There were quite a few walkers in the area, though most of them were gathered near the front gate, where the others were located. I sneaked in from the other side, otherwise, it may have alerted the walkers somehow. I wasn't sure of how they categorized 'walker' and 'non-walker' based on behavior just yet, but maybe I could perform some tests in the future.

I reached the first gate, where I've noticed there were some new kinds of walkers around. They were wearing protective gear, which would definitely make them more difficult to eliminate. Their heads are well protected, but we could get around that by using long knives from the neck area. It didn't take me much time to realize that as long as my teammates weren't complete idiots, walkers aren't much of a problem, especially not with this technique. Other groups will soon become a major headache. If my memory serves me right, the governor was a few dozen miles away from the prison, so we are bound to clash with him.

I walked even deeper into the building but noticed that all of the metal doors can only be unlocked with the appropriate keys. So it seems this is where I should stop. I walked back towards the intersection in the building. It was separated into two blocks containing cells each, and the prisoners meet in the middle, before resuming their walk towards the outside field.

I closed the two gates with a little tool I was given by Jim, it was basically a chain that could be attached between the fence and the door. It should get the job done.

**- Narrator -**

"I could only isolate them into three groups." Xenon explained once he was back and out of his disgusting clothing, namely walker guts. "I couldn't lock them further into the cells. We'd also be blocking our entry that way."

"It's alright, this should be good enough." Shane nodded at him. "We'll begin with-" He didn't get to finish that sentence, as they heard the sound of a car engine approaching. They turned to the source of the sound, each drawing different conclusions.

"Is it Rick? Did something happen back at the farm?" Glenn said worriedly.

"I don't think so." Xenon narrowed his eyes. "Get the big guns, everyone. They may not be friendly." He loaded the rifle on his back, pointed it towards the gate, ready to strike at a moment's notice, and so did the others, albeit more at a slower pace.

"DON'T SHOOT! We mean you no harm!" The car stopped in front of the gate, the conductor and the passenger raising their hands in the air once they noticed the guns pointed at them.

"Get out of the car. Now." a masked man in a black hoodie, wearing an army vest in a bizarre yet menacing combination, commanded them. The automatic rifles pointed to their hands were all the clues they needed to understand that those words should be taken seriously. They complied immediately.

"Glenn, take the car inside." Xenon said, as they opened the door and beckoned the others in. He wasn't looking at them anymore. Instead, he took cover and aimed the gun at the hill, trying the spot anyone of his 'friends'. He was out of range of the [Detect Presence] Skill, thus he could only rely on his eyes for the task.

"We're alone, we promise you." Xenon turned towards the man in question. He looked in his thirties, partially bald with hair on the sides of his head. His eyebrows were furrowed in worry, most likely about his imminent fate, wondering if he made the right decision by coming to this place. His hazel eyes looked at him pleadingly, begging for a chance to explain their presence, as he knew was looking suspicious for everyone around him.

"Yeah... I don't believe you." Xenon shook his head in amusement.

"Look, I understand you're suspicious of us, as I would be if I was in your shoes." The man said in a calm and disarming manner. "But we truly mean you no harm. We're alone in this world, everybody we knew perished in the breakout. We were hoping for a safer place with you."

"Do we look like idiots to you?!" Daryl asked angrily, pointing the gun closer to his head.

"Calm down." Jim took his arm. "Don't be quick to judge." He warned him. The others looked skeptical as well, but it seems they wanted to hear him out before making any decision.

"Let's give him a fair chance of explaining himself. We're not animals." Andrea nodded her head in agreement.

"You." Xenon said, pointing at his companion, a short man who didn't look a day older than twenty. "How did you find you us?" Xenon could clearly see the man was prepared for his speech, but he didn't want to hear any rehearsed crap.

"We heard your cars pass by, man!" He stuttered fearfully. "W-we used to live in the area, so we knew you were headed to the prison, man!"

"Really?" Xenon narrowed his eyes at him. "You know, the highway takes to many places."

"Y-yeah! But we came to check this place, man! We were looking at you from that hill over there, checking you out you see..."

"Really?" Xenon's mouth formed into an 'o' in understanding. "And you're telling me you mean us no harm?"

"We had no choice." The man finally interrupted him. "You're not the first group of people we've met."

"There are others out there?" Andrea asked hopefully.

"Yeah..." the man grimaced. "Not all with the best intentions, mind you. We found this group of about ten people, heavily armed. We thought that... Since we're all alive, we must be on the same side, right?" He shook his head wistfully. "Boy, were we wrong."

"What happened?" Shane prompted.

"They took our food, our one handgun, and left us to starve. Those fucking monsters..." He spat, shaking his head. "We had to fight the undead for any scrap of food we could find." Xenon did not believe him at all, but he also couldn't find fault with his story. It seems the others have bought into it, judging by their expression, especially Shane, whom he didn't expect to believe that crap. The only exception was Daryl, who was always suspicious of everything, so he doubted the others would take his word for it. And he had to agree, that the man did not look the lying kind. He looked approachable, charming to some degree in the sense that others are more likely to trust him. He could give him a chance, as long as he was sure he wouldn't screw them over with no chance of retaliation. Ideally, he hoped to get some skill to sort out the liars.

In this particular world, numbers were one of the most important things. Quality too, obviously, but he can't hope to match big groups like Negan's without enough manpower. And Negan only had the best fighters in his crew. Therefore, he'd planned to recruit everyone he met, as long as they were trustworthy enough. And he had to admit, that the story itself wasn't far-fetched. He could easily see it happening. It almost happened to him after all.

And yet, his gut told him not to trust them. It told him he was too weak to afford to make such mistakes early on. But what were his options? Kill them? That's a big no-no for him. The others would never accept it. Ergo, he'd be making an enemy out of them, destroying every tiny bit of trust he's been building over time.

Daryl was looking left and right, unable to believe his eyes. "Hold on a second." Everyone turned to him. "Do you seriously believe this crap? I could've made a better story when I was twelve!"

"What's wrong with his story, Daryl?" Shane retorted. "Tell us, please. We're all ears."

"You'll be all tears when these mofos fuck us over!" Daryl snarled, he turned to Xenon. "What are you thinking?"

"Honestly? I don't trust them at all." Xenon shrugged. "Something seems off about this situation. They look clean, except this one here." He pointed at the younger man. "He doesn't look trustworthy. But neither do you. No offense. And yet you are. Appearances can be deceiving."

"So we'll just let them join us?" Daryl's eye twitched in anger.

"What do you want us to do? Kill them?" Shane asked rhetorically. "We're not animals. Innocent until proven guilty, remember?"

"He's right." Jim shrugged. "Besides, they'll have plenty of time to prove themselves, won't they? In the meantime, they'll be under the microscope. What are your names, by the way?"

"I'm Dave." The man breathed a sigh of relief. "This is Randall, a student of mine."

"You're a teacher?" Theodore asked.

"I was a history teacher." Dave nodded. "I'm not sure if that's relevant anymore with everything that's happened." Xenon never ceased observing him. He felt something was wrong, but could not put his finger on it.