In difficult times everyone needs someone capable enough in leadership, with cold conduct and willing to pull the trigger even in front of a cat.
Jason was clear that being the leader of the S.C.T. was not easy. Every day, he carried the weight of the organization on his shoulders. He could be considered the light of hope for many people in a world full of the living dead, where only death and destruction remained. And every day he made decisions that impact the lives of thousands of people.
It is true that Jason is prepared for this, but sometimes a question arises, asking himself whether he was doing the right thing. Is it worth sending so many soldiers to their deaths for the good of humanity? Is there a better way to protect our people?
Jason felt responsibility for each one of his actions and that is why he was always at the front of everyone, but even so he knew it was not enough to prevent losses. After all, not everyone can be saved.
When he understood this, Jason took advantage of every sacrifice people made and since he arrived at this place he was always in the most dangerous areas eliminating dangerous walkers.
During this time he also had talks with Joel and Tommy, who remained in South Carolina while they made a decision about whether to go with Ellie to the central base to begin a thorough investigation into whether she carried a cure.
Jason did not want to be too pushy. Even if he was interested in a cure, he knew it would be useless if in the end the CRM or other powerful organizations still existed. Peace will not exist and the cure will not be especially necessary if the world is not in a stable balance.
…
"The variants of normal walkers are the problem. Unlike the slow and rotten walkers you can find everywhere, the special infected that mutated in an unknown way are the main problem."
At the top of a clean and active building operated by S.C.T. people, Jason was talking with Joel and his brother Tommy about the decision they would make.
"I'm not denying that the cure is the main focus, but a cure will be useless if there are dark organizations… Cannibals, killers, suicidal religious cults, every kind of crap you can imagine you now find anywhere."
Jason smiled and said: "I don't deny it, I can accept that the world before all this was just as dark as it is now, but at least we were ignorant idiots about the situations around us. As long as it didn't affect our lives, why should we care."
"You are really an unpredictable man, Jason…" Tommy looked at his brother and then looked at Jason.
"Oh, why do you say that?" Jason became interested in this.
"Not all leaders are willing to always go first. Most of the ones we have met always stay inside their bases while the others die outside." Tommy had a lot of experience and knew that even in CRM colonies where the militia was not so concentrated things were like that, but recently he met a man who was not like the others.
"Many say that if I die, the organization would fall into a bottomless pit… But what I really think is that it's too dramatic. There are good men in the world who can replace me." Jason said with a somewhat distant look.
At this point, Joel said: "Maybe you're right, but there are no two identical people in this world."
"I've already made my decision. During all this time I have been looking for a way to help with the future of humanity but I had always chosen the wrong place, so if you agree, I will follow you." Tommy said with a determined look.
Jason's and Tommy's eyes met and after a few seconds, Jason smiled and said: "A man like you will serve in my organization, so you are welcome."
"I will also help, but I want Ellie to be in a place not as intense as this. You can take her blood to experiment with cures as long as her own decisions are respected." Joel said with a serious look and continued: "If you think you can accept that, then we will join you."
Hearing this, Jason nodded and said: "All of you are welcome. Ellie's situation will remain secret and no one will talk about her, I promise."
By the time they all finished talking, the Miller brothers left and then at that moment Jason smiled coldly: "A sniper equal to or better than Jon Seda has appeared, this is incredible…"
"Now then, we must consider that with these big movements the CRM can find us at any moment, but considering that the Commonwealth was not found even with a population of 50,000, it is hard to imagine believing something like that happened…"
Jason knew he had to be prepared, and that is why he placed many anti-air missile defenses to eliminate both fighter jets and helicopters. He had also placed turrets where soldiers operated.
"The S.C.T. is not the Commonwealth!"
…
Two hours later.
Central zone of Columbia.
Many of the buildings had been cleared, and others were sealed until their respective cleaning. The city avenues were sealed with containers and now there were checkpoints.
The streets on the other hand were cleared of all traces of corpses and the walkers that had been removed from this place were taken to the central base so they could be turned into energy.
At this moment, after taking the whole city, Jason was standing at the edge of the rooftop, overlooking the ruined city. In the distance, he could see the faint outlines of an occasional walker stumbling inside buildings, searching for food. It was a harsh reality, but both he and the others had grown used to it.
He turned to the group of soldiers behind him, a mix of experienced veterans and new recruits. They all admired him as their leader, trusting him to make the difficult decisions that would keep them alive.
"Listen carefully!" Jason said, his voice drawing everyone's attention. "I know we live in a world where death is a constant presence. It is easy to become numb to the loss of life when it happens around us. But I want to remind you that every life is valuable. Every person, no matter age, sex, or any other nonsense — losing comrades to the walkers is a tragedy."
"Since the end of the world began, everything was chaos. People died left and right. But we refused to give up. We knew we had to fight for our survival and that of the civilians."
"We formed S.C.T. to bring together the best soldiers and strategists in the world. We trained hard, fought harder, and sacrificed a lot for the good of humanity. And we have survived. But at what cost?"
"Every day we lose more soldiers. Friends, comrades, brothers and sisters in arms. It tears me apart to think that we are sending so many people to their deaths."
Jason paused for a moment, letting his words sink into the minds of everyone present. "But I want you to keep very present that we are not only fighting to survive. We are fighting for the right to live. To have families, to build communities, to create a future for ourselves and our children. And we cannot do that if we lose sight of the value of life."
Jason looked back toward the city, his eyes scanning the streets for any sign of movement. "We must keep fighting. But we must also remember why we are fighting and dying. We cannot become like the walkers we are trying to survive against, killing without thinking about anything in our path. We must hold on to our humanity, our compassion, and our hope."
The soldiers nodded, some of them looked at Jason with a new kind of respect. They had joined S.C.T. to fight, but they had also joined to protect what they loved. Jason's words reminded them of that.
"We will make difficult decisions!" Jason continued. "We will have to sacrifice for the greater good. But we will also honor the lives of those we have lost and fight to preserve the lives of those who are still with us."
The soldiers were filled with pride, a bit more determined. They were ready to face whatever would come, knowing they were fighting for something bigger than themselves.
"Come on, let's completely clear this place and move forward!"
"Glory to humanity!"
"Glory to humanity!"
"We are the S.C.T.!"
"We protect the future, create the path, and destroy our enemies. We are strengthened under the blood of the walkers and when they touch one of ours, they will suffer the cruelest vengeance!"
All the soldiers, with tears in their eyes, beat their chests with pride, feeling that everything they had done had been worth it when they saw the joy-filled faces of the survivors.
Jason's eyes, for his part, swept across the crowd filled with pride, having now raised true monsters in combat.