South Carolina.
S.C.T. Safe City.
"What—?!"
Jason opened his eyes in a daze, the first thing he saw being an unfamiliar ceiling.
Looking to his left and right, he realized he was lying in a bed in a room he didn't recognize.
As his memories returned, he recalled the moment before losing consciousness… He had escaped a hunting trap set by the people Glenn had tracked down.
Thinking about that trap that had nearly taken his life, he felt a chill. Fortunately, he had reacted quickly. Otherwise, he would truly be dead now.
"Oh…"
Feeling his throat dry, Jason instinctively tried to sit up, only to notice that his right hand and right leg were wrapped in bandages.
Shifting carefully into a seated position, he looked at his injured leg. Having been seriously hurt twice in just half a year, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"Is anyone there?"
Taking a sip from the glass of water placed beside him, Jason called out softly toward the door. No one answered.
When he turned to look out the window, he saw that heavy rain was pouring down. The windows rattled as the wind howled outside.
Lifting the blanket, Jason grabbed the crutches at his side and slowly got out of bed. He took a jacket from the hanger, draped it over his shoulders, then limped out of the room.
He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he felt stronger than before. Still, he didn't dwell on it. He focused on loosening his stiff muscles, letting warmth slowly return to his injured limbs as he walked.
The living room was empty.
When Jason made his way downstairs, he was greeted by a desolate scene.
He wasn't surprised. Ever since Alicia left to go undercover in the Commonwealth, he had been living alone. If there had been someone unfamiliar in his house, that would have meant something serious.
"Woof! Woof!"
A small dog resting in the corner pricked up its ears. Seeing Jason hobbling forward on crutches, it stood alert and ran toward him.
"Hey… aren't you Daryl's dog? What are you doing here?"
Jason sat down on the sofa and began stroking the dog's head.
"Hey… isn't Daryl planning to eat you one day?"
"Woof!"
As if offended, the dog barked angrily, spun in a circle to show it was perfectly fine, then jumped onto the sofa and rested its head on Jason's injured leg.
"Well, if you're thinking about changing owners, just bite your master and come to me. I guarantee you'll eat better than with that scruffy old man."
Jason chuckled, running his hand along the dog's back.
"I didn't expect that operation to almost cost me my life. I guess I need to be more careful. Who would've thought chasing a few people would lead to so many deaths… and two damn tigers?"
As he said that, his expression shifted.
Tigers only gather during mating season.
And if there had been two of them…
A thought slowly formed in his mind.
"Could there be cubs out there?"
Otherwise, why would the male have slaughtered so many people so aggressively? The tigress hadn't appeared pregnant—it was likely she had already given birth.
The possibility of tiger cubs somewhere in the forest suddenly intrigued him.
Without their parents bringing them fresh meat, and unable to hunt on their own, they would likely starve.
"Maybe… we could raise them in captivity?"
He thought of Ezekiel and how he had never spoken again about Shiva. Jason had many doubts but had refrained from asking out of respect.
Click.
The front door opened.
Cold wind and rain swept inside as a figure in a raincoat entered.
After closing the door quickly, the figure removed the hood and let out a long breath.
Tara.
She hung up her raincoat, picked up the piece of meat she had dropped when she came in, and was about to head toward the kitchen.
She had been checking on injured people in a temporary building when the sudden downpour forced everyone to seek shelter. But remembering Jason's condition, she had returned to check on him personally.
When she turned—
She froze.
Jason was sitting on the sofa.
"You?!"
The things in her hands fell to the floor. Her eyes widened in shock.
"How are you? Are you fully conscious?"
She rushed over, already reaching out to examine his wounds.
"I'm fine. I'm really fine."
Jason gently grabbed her cold hands and motioned for her to sit.
"What are you doing in a dangerous place like this? I told you it wasn't necessary for you to come to places like this…"
"I'm fine. I've learned a lot about emergency treatment. There aren't many doctors, so any help matters."
As if remembering something, Tara stood up abruptly.
"Are you hungry? I'll make you something to eat."
She picked up what she had brought and headed into the kitchen.
Jason frowned.
"You just said I hadn't woken up… what do you mean?"
"When Tommy brought you back that day, you were in a coma. It's been two days."
Working efficiently in the kitchen, Tara grabbed a knife and began preparing ingredients. Then she suddenly raised the knife and shot him a sharp look.
"I should remind you—Tarzan might've beaten a leopard, but a tiger is far more dangerous. How dare you fight two of them? If you keep this up, we're going to lose our leader!"
"It wasn't like that. We were ambushed. It was hard to react."
Jason rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I can't believe I've been in bed for two full days…"
Unconsciously, he placed a hand on his abdomen. For some reason, he kept feeling like something inside him had changed. But after careful inspection, nothing seemed different—except that his body felt… more alive.
"That's strange… I'm overthinking."
Shaking his head to dismiss the thought, he asked,
"I've been unconscious for the past two days. Tell me—what happened while I was out?"
"Wow. That's why you're the leader."
Tara rolled her eyes, but she answered.
"When Tommy came back, he told us the hunters you were tracking were eliminated and some were captured. But we also lost quite a few people—those without combat experience. Daryl had only planned a hunting trip, so the weapons and personnel weren't the best."
Jason's expression grew serious.
"So… were there any other discoveries in the forest?"