Chapter 117 116 - Prisoners

The two JLTVs had already made their way inside Woodbury and were now stopped a short distance from the main gate, their engines still running as soldiers spread out around them and began securing the area.

The members of the Woodbury militia had been ordered down from the wall and were now lined up near the gate. Most were men, though several women were among them.

Three Marines stood nearby, keeping watch as another group of soldiers moved down the line, checking each person for any remaining weapons.

The militia had already surrendered their rifles and pistols, but the soldiers were making sure there was nothing else hidden on them.

Some stood quietly, looking nervous as they were searched, while others made little effort to hide their displeasure. The Governor was among them, his expression hard as he watched his people being disarmed and searched.

His eyes occasionally moved toward the soldiers and the armored vehicles nearby, clearly irritated by how quickly control of the settlement had slipped away from him.

A short distance away, the weapons taken from the wall had been gathered into a pile. Rifles, pistols, ammunition, and other equipment were being collected and secured by the soldiers.

Gaz walked over to Price, who stood with Soap and Ghost near one of the JLTVs.

"Gate's secure."

Price nodded.

"What about the weapons?"

"Collected everything they had on the wall.

We're checking the rest now."

Gaz glanced toward the line of militia.

"Twenty two of them."

Price looked over at the group.

"Any resistance to the search?"

"None."

Soap briefly looked toward the militia.

"Doesn't look like they're in much of a mood to try anything."

Ghost remained silent, his attention fixed on the prisoners.

Price gave a small nod.

"Keep them covered."

Gaz acknowledged him before turning his attention back toward the soldiers securing the weapons.

The Governor continued to watch in silence.

His authority had been built around the men standing beside him, yet now those same men had been disarmed and placed under guard.

Some still looked frustrated, but others seemed increasingly uncertain about what would happen next.

Inside the settlement soldiers began securing key positions and making sure no one attempted to interfere.

Seeing the soldiers moving through Woodbury the people had begun gathering along the streets and around the entrances of nearby buildings, watching the soldiers from a distance.

Conversations that had previously filled the settlement had become quieter, with many residents speaking among themselves in low voices.

Some looked frightened.

A mother standing near one of the houses noticed a group of soldiers approaching and immediately pulled her two children closer, placing herself between them and the soldiers.

The children looked past her, watching the unfamiliar men with nervous expressions.

"Stay close to me," she quietly told them.

Nearby, another family stood together outside a building, the father keeping one arm around his youngest child while watching the soldiers carefully.

His wife kept glancing toward the gate, apparently trying to understand what was happening.

Not everyone reacted with fear.

Some residents simply stood and watched, curiosity competing with their uncertainty. A few looked toward the confiscated weapons and then back at the soldiers, while others whispered to one another about why the soldiers had come to Woodbury.

For some, however, the sight of armed men entering the settlement brought back uncomfortable memories.

They had already experienced what could happen when armed outsiders were given power over them.

The arrival of soldiers carrying rifles was enough to make some residents tense, even though these men had done nothing to them.

A woman standing beside a shop stepped back as a pair of Marines passed.

She pulled her daughter closer.

The Marine glanced in their direction but continued walking without stopping.

Soap watched the residents for a moment, noticing the nervous looks and the way some of them kept their children close as the soldiers moved through the settlement.

"People are scared."

Price glanced toward the nearby civilians.

"Can't blame them."

Soap looked back toward the woman and her daughter.

"After what happened with the other soldiers, I suppose they don't know what to expect from us."

Ghost remained silent, continuing to watch the surrounding streets.

Price gave a small nod.

"They'll figure it out soon enough."

At that moment, Price, Ghost, Gaz, and Soap noticed four figures walking toward them from deeper inside the settlement.

Three men and one woman.

Price watched them approach, his attention settling on one of the men.

He recognized him almost immediately.

Merle Dixon.

The man Mercer had recruited as an informant inside Woodbury.

Price had never spent much time around Merle himself, but he had been briefed on his role and knew exactly who he was. His reports had provided the military with much of the information they had about the settlement and its leadership.

Price kept his expression neutral as Merle and the others continued toward them.

Soap glanced at him.

"That's Dixon, isn't it?"

Price gave a small nod.

"Yeah."

Ghost's eyes moved over the other three figures, briefly checking each of them before returning to Merle.

Gaz noticed the woman was staying close to one of the three men.

"Looks like he's brought some company."

Price watched them for another moment.

"Let's see what he got for us."

Merle stopped a few feet from the group, looking from Price to Ghost, Gaz, and Soap.

"Well, look at that. Guess you boys finally decided to come inside."

Soap gave him a brief look.

"Good to see you too, Dixon."

Merle grinned.

"Yeah, yeah. Nice to see you boys as well."

Ghost's attention shifted past Merle toward the injured man accompanying him. His eyes moved over the bruising on the man's face and the condition of his clothes.

"Looks like someone tried to get information out of him."

Merle glanced back at him.

"Yeah. They did."

Price looked at Merle.

"The two prisoners?"

"That's them."

Merle nodded toward the injured man and the woman beside him.

"Got 'em out of their cells."

Gaz looked at him.

"How?"

Merle shrugged.

"Walked in, opened the doors, walked back out."

Soap raised an eyebrow.

"That simple?"

"Wasn't exactly difficult." Merle's grin widened slightly.

Price's attention then shifted to the third man standing with Merle.

He recognized him from the information they had been given.

"Martinez."

Martinez looked at him.

"You know who I am."

"We know you're in charge of security here."

Price glanced briefly toward the settlement before looking back at him.

"Which means, i will have to ask you to surrender your weapons."

Martinez remained silent for a moment, studying Price.

"And what exactly are you planning to do?"

Price kept his tone calm.

"That depends on how things go from here."

Martinez frowned slightly.

"You came here knowing what was going on."

"Of course."

Price paused.

"By now, you must have figured out we had someone on the inside. We knew about the Governor's plans and what was happening here before we arrived."

Martinez's expression tightened slightly, but he said nothing.

"We intended to deal with a threat before it became one," Price continued. "Thankfully, we managed to do that without firing a bullet."

Martinez glanced toward the gate and the soldiers securing the area.

"And Woodbury?"

Price looked toward the settlement.

"That comes next."

He turned his attention back to Martinez.

"We're working to bring the communities we've secured into something more organized. Woodbury will be integrated with them."

Martinez studied him for another moment before looking around at the soldiers occupying the settlement.

"And the people here?"

"They'll be protected," Price said. "They'll have a say in what happens to their community."

Martinez's expression remained guarded, but some of the tension in his face seemed to ease.

Price gave him a final look.

"For now, hand over your weapons and let my men secure the settlement. We can talk about everything else afterward."

Martinez let out a quiet sigh.

He reached for the pistol at his hip and slowly removed it from its holster before holding it out toward Price.

Price took it from him.

Martinez then pulled the combat knife from his belt and handed that over as well. Finally, he unclipped the radio from his belt and passed it to Price.

"That's everything."

Price gave a small nod.

"Appreciate it."

Martinez said nothing, his eyes briefly moving toward the soldiers securing Woodbury before returning to Price.

With Price gesturing toward the line of militia.

"Go stand with the others."

Martinez gave a small nod and walked over to join the rest of the disarmed militia, taking his place under the watch of the Marines.

Price then turned his attention toward the two young people Merle had brought with him.

The woman remained close to the injured man, keeping an eye on him as he stood beside her.

Price looked at Gaz.

"Get them into one of the vehicles."

Gaz nodded.

"On it."

Price glanced toward the two civilians.

"They're going home."

Gaz moved toward them, while Merle stepped aside to give him room.

Then the attention was back on Merle.

"What about the others?"

Merle gave him a crooked grin.

"Still locked up. Figured they'd be more trouble loose than they are in a cell."

Merle glanced back toward the building where the prisoners were being held.

"They aren't exactly the type I'd wanna have wandering around while all this is going on."

Price gave a small nod.

"Fair enough."

He gestured toward the settlement.

"Lead the way."

Merle turned and started walking, with Price following alongside him and Ghost and Soap close behind.

•••

Merle led Price, Ghost, and Soap deeper into Woodbury, taking them toward the building where the remaining prisoners were being held.

The streets were noticeably quieter than before. Soldiers had begun securing the settlement, while the residents stayed out of their way and watched from a distance.

Merle eventually stopped in front of a weathered building.

"They're in here."

Price nodded.

"Let's have a look."

Merle pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The building was dim and quiet, the sound of boots against the concrete floor echoing through the narrow corridor.

As Price, Ghost, Soap, and Merle approached, the men inside the cells began to notice them.

Trey Barker was the first to look up.

His expression changed almost immediately when he saw Merle.

He knew him.

Merle had come around several times during his stay in Woodbury, asking questions and checking on the prisoners. At the time, Trey had assumed Merle was simply keeping an eye on them for the Governor.

Now he was beginning to realize there had been more to it.

Merle Dixon was standing in the corridor.

And he wasn't alone.

Price walked beside him, with Ghost and Soap following close behind.

Trey's eyes narrowed.

"Dixon..."

Merle gave him a crooked grin.

"Well, look who's still behind bars."

Trey ignored the remark.

"You weren't working for Blake, we're you?"

Merle shrugged.

"Maybe. Maybe not."

Trey's gaze shifted toward Price, his expression hardened as the pieces began falling into place. The questions Merle had asked them, the information he had been gathering, the way he had taken an interest in what they were doing—it suddenly looked very different.

"You took the town from Blake," Trey said coldly. "But Woodbury belongs to us. We cleared this place."

Price regarded him calmly.

"You seem to have mistaken clearing a place for owning it."

Trey clenched his jaw.

Before he could answer, Manning suddenly grabbed the bars of his cell and threw his weight against them.

"No, no, no!"

The metal rattled loudly.

"This was supposed to be our town!"

He glared at Merle through the bars.

"Dixon, you're playing with fire!"

Manning slammed his hands against the bars again.

"When we get out of here, we're burying all of you! You and your little tactical monkeys!"

Soap glanced toward Ghost.

Ghost remained completely expressionless.

Manning stared back at them, his anger only growing when neither man reacted.

Tommy Zorn stood farther back in his cell, staring at the soldiers. He had been ready for a fight, but the sight of Ghost and Soap told him enough. Their equipment and calmness made it clear that these were not men he could intimidate with improvised weapons or sheer aggression.

Zorn turned away and drove his fist into the concrete wall.

"Goddammit."

The impact echoed through the corridor.

Greely watched the soldiers silently.

The weapons they had hidden away and the numbers they believed would be enough to take control of Woodbury had suddenly become meaningless. Whatever advantage they thought they had was gone.

Stinson looked toward Johnson.

Neither said anything.

They exchanged a nervous glance before looking back toward Price.

Both seemed increasingly uncomfortable.

If the military knew what they had been planning, the hidden weapons were no longer simply part of their plan. They were evidence.

Stinson swallowed.

"How much do they know?"

Johnson barely moved his lips.

"I don't know."

Their eyes shifted toward Merle.

Merle noticed the looks and grinned.

"Oh, don't look at me like that."

He stepped closer to the cells.

"I ain't the one who got you boys locked up."

Manning glared at him.

"You..."

Merle laughed.

"Oh, look at 'em, Captain."

He turned toward Price, clearly enjoying himself.

"They wanted the crown, boys!"

Merle laughed again, shaking his head.

"Were y'all plannin' a little surprise party for old Blake?"

Trey's expression darkened.

Merle looked back at him.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but the big boys here just cancelled the event."

He spread his hands.

"Ain't no throne left for you in Woodbury."

Trey stared at him with barely contained anger.

Price, however, wasn't interested in Merle's taunting. He looked down the row of cells, taking in each prisoner.

"So these are the men we've been hearing about."

Merle's grin faded slightly.

"Yep."

Price nodded.

"Then we'll deal with them."

Trey's eyes narrowed.

"Deal with us how?"

Price looked directly at him.

"That depends on what we find."

Trey said nothing.

For the first time since he had begun planning to take control of Woodbury, he had no idea what would happen next.