The ride back had gone rather smoothly. The men had driven the trucks back to their community successfully with virtually no issues. When Nikolai had seen the walls of Woodbury, he could not believe it. He felt his heart rate spike. There were several armed guards waiting atop the gates. They were heavily armed indeed. A couple of fully automatic rifles, and some devastatingly-high caliber pistols were definitely in use. It would undoubtedly stop an undead, or brigand for that matter, in its tracks. The governor made a hand motion, and the guards atop the wall opened the gates. There was a massive creaking of the doors, and the rather beautiful town of Woodbury was revealed. It was stunning compared to the outside world. Absolutely flawless. There were several people, presumably the civilians of the town, watching the convoy eagerly, hoping for any sign of good news. The convoy stopped in unison within what must have been the main plaza. The civilians gathered around. The Governor exited his vehicle, and the crowd looked over at him expectantly, great anxiety on their faces. The Governor had a serious, stern look on his face, and was clearly contemplating on how to spread the news. Somewhere in the distance, Nikolai swore he could smell beef cooking. Would that attract the undead? His thoughts were interrupted by The Governor's hoarse tone.

The Governor spoke gruffly, yet with dignity. "My friends. Today has been...quite devastating. We've lost several of our people. Our goal was to try to make peace, but these people...these terrorists...tried to ambush us. They put my men's lives in danger. They put your lives in danger. I have told you before, if we want to keep this town safe, we must prepare for battle. To defend our home, our families, we must band together. We have them outnumbered, and outgunned. With our superior numbers, fortitude, and will, we can prevail over this threat." Nikolai kept silent, deciding now was the time to just listen to what they had to say. The Governor was quite the speaker. The leader continued, "Now, more than ever, we need help. I'm asking any and all volunteers. Please. Defend what is yours. I have told you before, and I will say it again. I am afraid. People want to take what we have worked so hard for." The crowd could be heard muttering anxiously to themselves, not knowing how to respond. A few were nodding their heads in agreement. One blonde man said loudly, "Let's tear those bastards to pieces!" That seemed to draw a reaction from the crowd, as the noise level increased. The Governor rose a hand and all was silent. One of the men in the trucks, presumably one of The Governor's lieutenants, rose his rifle and said, "Listen. This man has never steered you wrong, has he? We all had a hand in building this place. We survived as one. Now the duty calls for us to hold on to our beliefs, and our values. We need to keep this place going." The Governor said, "They won't stop until they have taken everything. They will kill any one of you without hesitation." The crowd had angry faces strewn about, and some were moved by this, cradling their children. Another woman said, "Surely there must be another way." The Governor shook his head regretfully, saying, "I'm sorry. There isn't. We have tried several times." The woman was clearly frustrated, she blurted out, "Have you even offered them a place to stay here?" The Governor said, "Yes I have. They spit in my face. One of them attacked me, and you've seen what they've done to my eye." The woman looked down guiltily afterwards. The Governor said, "However, things have turned out well for us in this bittersweet conundrum." Nikolai's ears perked up to that. The Governor continued, "We have managed to capture one of our most hated traitors. He was on the run, and we sure couldn't find him." The crowd began to get keenly interested as the man spoke. He continued, "We looked for him for days. All until one man captured him, and brought him to us alive." The Governor rose a hand, and signaled to Nikolai to step forward. Nikolai leaped out of the back of the truck, landing on his feet.

The reaction was exactly what Nikolai had expected. Several surprised gasps were heard, and Nikolai merely stepped forward until he was even with The Governor.
The Governor placed one hand on the giant's left shoulder and said, "Ladies and gentleman, this man has brought us our most hated traitor. Found him, captured him, and delivered him here. To us." The crowd did not cheer, but merely looked up at him. Nikolai said nothing, as the men on the trucks began to attend to their duties, taking the unconscious soldiers over to where they would get medical attention. As they did so, The Governor lifted Dixon's unconscious body and slung it to the ground. Dixon did not move. "This man has brought us Merle Dixon!" The crowd was immediately in an uproar. They were shouting some of the nastiest insults and vulgar words one could possibly hear. The Governor said loudly, "This man should be thanked. Tonight, we're going to have fun, and enjoy ourselves. This is a momentous occasion. This time, the traitor will not escape. This giant of a man will be heralded as a hero." The crowd obliged, gentle cheers and claps were heard, presumably to keep the noise level to a minimum. Nikolai looked around at the faces. These people looked tired and grim. They had no doubt been through the trauma of battle recently. Nikolai was tired as well. The Governor pointed at Dixon's unconscious frame, and said, "This man. Dixon, the traitor you all knew so well. He will be executed. It will be public, painful, and excruciating." He motioned to a few of his men, and they took Dixon's still-unconscious body off into the distance. The Governor continued, "Rest easy tonight my friends. I feel like I've been too hard on you all. And I apologize for that. It has been crazy around here over the last few weeks. I wish I could say that everyone will make it... But I would be lying. I do not lie to my people. I will be there with you. Fighting right beside you all. However, tonight, we enjoy ourselves one more time. Tonight, we relax. Tomorrow, we prepare for battle. Be ready." The Governor dismissed the crowd.

The crowd began to disperse, as The Governor asked for him to accompany him for a private talk. The patched man signaled to his subordinates, letting them know not to follow him. Nikolai followed the man to what must have been the central seat of power. The Governor seated himself into a large, comfortable-looking leather seat. Nikolai just stood there, unsure of what to think. The Governor said, "Nervous?" Nikolai said, "With permission, sir, I have not seen such a place in months...it is fairly new to me... Can you understand that perspective?" The Governor chuckled softly, his tone jovial and cheerful, "Well of course. To come into something from nothing...It is quite different." Nikolai spoke, "You understand my logic then." The Governor smiled and said, "I don't believe I got your name." Nikolai apologized, bowing courteously, and said, "Nikolai, sir." Nikolai did not know how to feel towards this man. He had already proven himself to be a liar, as he had twisted the story of how they got a hold of that Dixon character. The Governor spoke, "Russian?" Nikolai said, "No sir. I do not identify with any culture anymore." The Governor nodded thoughtfully, and said, "I see. It seems we all have our quirks, do we not?" Nikolai nodded. The Governor said, "Would you mind if I saw what you look like under that helmet?" Nikolai said, "My apologies sir, I never take it off." The Governor said, "That's alright." Nikolai never asked about The Governor's eye. It seemed unfair to do so since The Governor prodded the matter no further.

It was now the brink of dusk, and Nikolai still had not adapted well to his surroundings. Walking around with his armor and chains on, he looked like a total freak.
He was now surrounded by people asking him who he was and where he had come from. He did not answer many questions, and he felt rude for that. However, it was overwhelming. There were so many people. He was sitting in a large arrangement of bleachers, and on the dirt in front of them, there were some people drunkenly singing, trying to put on a show for the crowd. Food and drink was being served, and the people were absolutely riled. Did they not realize how dangerous this situation was? The undead could surely hear everything going on. The Governor himself was silently drinking from a bottle of alcohol, and looked serene. Nikolai did not like the amount of people around him. So, he politely excused himself to go off a ways to where it was more quiet. Nikolai did not understand this place. The people were living life like it was normal. It was confusing. Had these folks not faced the horrors outside? Or had they grown so accustomed to the inside of the walls that they had forgotten reality? Nikolai didn't know the answer. He was lost in his thoughts, when The Governor came up beside him quietly. The patched man spoke,
"These people deserve a rest. They've all worked so hard." The smell of alcohol was heavy on the man, and Nikolai responded, "You are aware of the dangers of the loud sounds, correct?" The Governor nodded and said, "The biters won't get in. We've got every gate reinforced and guarded. We're safe for tonight." The patched man smiled reassuringly and said, "You really should rest yourself. We all have a long day tomorrow." Nikolai tilted his head, "We, sir?" The Governor said, "You don't have to take part if you don't want to." Nikolai's inner moral code began to grind. They did take him in after all. Surely he could assist. However, he still didn't know what to think of this place. It was all too sudden. The pits of his stomach flared, and he was thankful that the residents of Woodbury had allowed him to consume their food. The Governor spoke, "I can tell you aren't particularly interested in the party." Nikolai shook his head, "I do not handle crowds well."
The Governor nodded his head and smiled, "I do not blame you. To be alone for so long, then thrust back into society. Speaking of which, I wanted to show you your room."

The Governor began trotting away, with Nikolai following closely. They roamed past the town buildings, keeping a steady pace. They entered a small white building near the opposite end of the bleacher area. The Governor was using a flashlight, keeping them from tumbling over one another, and lit a candle, placing it beside the bed on the nightstand. He spoke, "It's quite comfortable. We have hot running water. We have plenty of food. We have alcohol if you would like some." Nikolai nodded and sat down. The mattress, on a normal day, would feel slightly stiff and hard. But this felt like heaven. The Governor continued, "We also have electricity, but we try to go easy on it. During the day it isn't a problem but the night time is different." Nikolai noted the solar panels on the ground in the road outside.
The Governor stood against the wall and said, "Please, do try to get some rest. I'll send my best man to check up on you in the morning. If you need anything, feel free to go over to the gates and tell them what you need. They'll take care of you." Nikolai nodded. Before he could speak, The Governor had left his room, alone in his thoughts.

Nikolai sat there, thinking to himself. It was surreal. Was it really possible? Had he found somewhere safe? He could hear the party from across the town, the people still enjoying their fun. It wasn't distracting, but it was indeed noticeable. He did not really keep track of time anymore, but he was still highly intelligent to the point that he could use the position of the sun to predict how many hours of light were left. He lifted himself from the mattress, and saw several other homes that were lit up. Nikolai looked up and down the road. Several armed guards were patrolling the streets. The giant was hugely discomforted by this. He had only seen one part of the town, and he could tell that there were efforts on constantly improving the walls. The walls were heavily reinforced, and there was little possibility for the undead to get through them. The issue was that it seemed too perfect. The giant was suspicious of this place. However, the exhaustion finally began to eat away at his mind. His vision started to blur, and he was immensely fatigued. Sliding onto the mattress, he lie down on his side, his body armor luckily not making him uncomfortable. He closed his eyes, feeling the sweet, loving embrace of sleep wash over him. A few more minutes and he was making sweet love to the void of unconsciousness.