Chapter 59: The Kingdom
Gray filled the truck completely with fresh vegetables, fruits, and meat from his automated farms. Once it was fully stocked, he put the vehicle back into his inventory and launched himself high into the air to survey the surrounding settlements, weighing his choices on where to make first contact.
If he went to Alexandria, he would have to deal with sheltered residents who had never stepped outside their walls and were mostly wealthy, elite citizens before the virus spread. If he went to the Hilltop, he was genuinely afraid he might just kill their corrupt leader, Gregory, the very second he laid eyes on him. Oceanside seemed to have more than enough of their own supplies for now. Finally, he looked toward the Kingdom and decided they were the perfect group to approach.
Gray flew over the tree line and landed smoothly about five miles outside of their territory. He spawned the refrigerated box truck onto the pavement and started driving toward their gates. Every single walker he encountered along the road was met with a swift end... he casually shot them down to keep the path clear. His rifle and handgun rested within arm’s reach on the passenger seat, while his Valyrian steel dagger and sword leaned securely against the passenger door.
After driving for a few more minutes, he spotted a small group of people riding horses just ahead on the road. Gray brought the truck to a stop. Deciding to approach them on foot, he stepped out of the cab and began gearing up. He slid his dagger and sword onto his hip, holstered his UAC handgun on the opposite side, and slung his silver rifle over his shoulder. He shut off the truck engine and started walking directly toward them.
Seeing a stranger fully geared in blackened medieval armor, loading himself up with both modern firearms and medieval blades, the Kingdom guards immediately grew nervous. They exchanged tense nods, gripping their handmade spears tightly while ensuring their holstered handguns were within reach. They grew more anxious by the minute as the armored figure closed the distance.
Once Gray got close enough, he simply raised his hands casually to show he wasn’t a threat. "I’m not looking for trouble," Gray called out, keeping his voice steady. "I’m just looking for settlements to barter with. If you guys want to trade and have a settlement, please let me know."
Hearing his words, the guards relaxed an inch but remained highly skeptical. They hadn’t encountered any hostile human factions just yet in this early stage of the apocalypse, so they were a bit more open to hearing a stranger out.
"What do you have to offer?" one of the guards asked, eyeing his gear.
Gray smiled. "Follow me back to the truck and I can show you."
The guards cautiously turned their horses and followed Gray back down the road, keeping a safe distance and remaining prepared to ride away instantly if things turned dangerous. Gray walked straight to the rear of the vehicle and pulled the doors open.
When the guards rode up and peeked inside the refrigerator box, they were completely astonished by the sheer volume of fresh food. They stared at rows of prime meat, crates of fresh eggs, crisp vegetables, and even perfectly ripe fruit. The riders looked at each other in absolute disbelief.
"I’m going to go and speak with our leader," one of the guards declared. "He needs to see this."
The second guard agreed to stay behind to keep an eye on Gray. Gray simply nodded. "That’s fine. I’m willing to wait, but try to make it quick. I don’t want to be caught out here once it gets dark."
The departing guard nodded and told Gray it would take about 15 minutes for him to return. Gray climbed back into the driver’s seat of the truck, leaving the door cracked, and waited patiently.
Barely 10 minutes later, the sound of hoofbeats echoed down the highway as a larger group of people appeared. Gray didn’t think they would actually try to rob him, but to be completely safe, he activated his Sin Vision to screen everyone in the group. To his satisfaction, every single soul lit up as completely innocent of malice. He even spotted a few highly familiar faces from the TV show; leading the pack was Ezekiel, the man who owned a tiger, and riding right beside him was Jerry, the biggest green flag of a survivor Gray had ever seen.
Gray stepped out of the truck and onto the pavement. The moment Ezekiel and Jerry took in the sight of Gray’s blackened medieval-style armor, their eyes lit up. They instantly thought they had just discovered a kindred spirit who shared their exact theatrical interests.
Ezekiel immediately broke into his theatrical, kingly persona, a wide smile spreading across his face as he looked over Gray’s heavy armor. He gestured grandly from atop his horse, his voice booming with royal elegance.
"Greetings, lonesome knight!" Ezekiel proclaimed. "What is it that thou seekest in exchange for the bountiful wares hidden within thy metallic steed?"
Gray couldn’t help but laugh at the dramatic greeting. "I can take pretty much anything you guys are willing to trade, but honestly, what interests me the most is people."
The moment those words left his mouth, the lighthearted mood vanished. The entire group from the Kingdom instantly grew incredibly tense. Jerry’s hand drifted closer to his weapon, and Ezekiel’s smile dropped as he leaned forward, asking warily, "What exactly do you mean by people?"
Gray’s eyes widened as he realized how terrible that sounded. He started laughing even harder this time, completely breaking character.
"Oh, no, no, no! Not like that," Gray said, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye from laughing so hard. "I don’t want slaves, and I’m not trying to trade for human beings. What I meant is that I’m actively looking for survivors who are willing to relocate and move into our settlement. We have a massive, safe space completely surrounded by guards and giant stone walls. We have farming fields, electricity, and enough fresh water to last a city for centuries. We have way more resources than we can ever use, so I was sent out to find survivors who want a better life."
Ezekiel exchanged a glance with Jerry, the tension leaving his shoulders as he absorbed the information. "And where is this paradise you speak of?" Ezekiel asked, still a bit cautious but highly intrigued.
"Just a few miles that way," Gray said, pointing cleanly in the exact direction of his newly constructed Virginia base.
As they talked, Gray was already planning ahead. If the residents of the Kingdom decided to move into the new settlement, he could easily appoint Ezekiel as one of the co-leaders to help run the residential blocks. But since the new base was currently completely empty, Gray realized he needed to seed the population. He decided that once he finished dealing with the Kingdom people here, he would teleport straight back to the Atlanta prison to ask if any of the existing survivors or Woodbury refugees would be willing to relocate to the new Virginia site to kickstart the community.
After talking for a while longer, Ezekiel stepped up to check the goods inside the truck himself. Seeing that everything looked perfectly fresh and legitimate, he sighed softly and shook his head.
"Alas, noble traveler," Ezekiel said, his grand tone shifting into a more humble note. "We find ourselves deeply humbled by thy generosity. However, truth be told, we currently possess absolutely nothing of equal value to trade you for such magnificent wares."
Gray simply waved his hand dismissively. "Don’t even worry about it. If these things can help us build a good relationship, I don’t mind if you guys just take everything. My group has plenty of food back home. Just take it as a gesture of good faith from me and my people."
Ezekiel was completely caught off guard, his eyes widening. "Are you truly certain, Sir Gray?"
"Yeah," Gray continued with a nod. "If you can show me where your settlement is, I can drive the truck right behind you and your people can unload it. And hey, if you still don’t trust the food, I am more than happy to eat anything out of the back right in front of you."
Ezekiel and Jerry exchanged a quick look, silently agreeing that this was an offer they simply couldn’t refuse. "Very well then," Ezekiel said, a warm smile returning to his face. "Follow us, and welcome to our domain."
Gray got back into the driver’s seat and started following the horse riders back toward the Kingdom. The drive took them around five minutes. Rolling into their school-campus compound, Gray immediately spotted several familiar faces. The population was visibly smaller than it was when the Kingdom was first introduced in the TV show, making Gray realize they hadn’t taken in the bulk of their refugees yet. He also noticed they only had a few small, struggling crop plots scattered around the courtyards.
Once they finally pulled into the main square where the residents gathered, Ezekiel grandly ordered his trusted people to unload everything from the truck and distribute a little bit of everything to everyone. Gray watched as the residents’ faces lit up, receiving a flood of incredibly grateful looks from the entire community.
Ezekiel dismounted his horse, walked over, and placed a firm, appreciative hand on Gray’s armored shoulder. "You have brought a true blessing to our people today, Sir Gray. Words cannot fully express our gratitude."
Gray simply smiled. "No problem at all."
Wanting to ensure they had a way to stay in touch, Gray reached into his back and handed Ezekiel a high-grade walkie-talkie with a 30-mile range. "If you guys run into any serious issues out here, whether it’s a massive cluster of walkers or a group of hostile raiders, just give me a call through this channel, and I’ll come right over to help you out."
Ezekiel thanked Gray for the walkie-talkie and grandly extended his hand. "Come, Sir Gray! Allow me to show you around our humble kingdom, so that you may see what we have built in these dark times."
Gray looked up into the sky and saw that he still had plenty of daylight left to stick around. Ezekiel noticed him checking the time and smiled warmly. "You are more than welcome to stay the night with us. Tomorrow morning, we can journey over to your settlement to inspect it firsthand. Only then will I be able to give you a true answer to your proposal of moving our people."
"I appreciate that," Gray replied with a nod. "Thanks for the offer. I’ll stick around for the night."
Ezekiel led Gray around the school campus, proudly pointing out their small crop plots and the handful of animals they managed to keep alive. Eventually, they arrived at a large building that looked like a high school theater. Ezekiel opened the heavy doors and gestured for Gray to follow him inside. Stepping into the dim light of the stage area, Gray finally saw her, Shiva, the massive Bengal tiger, resting majestically near the seats.
Ezekiel saw Gray staring at the beast and smiled proudly. "Do not fear, my friend. She will not harm you. She knows who belongs under our protection."
After checking out the theater, Gray walked the perimeter to see how they kept the compound secure. The Kingdom guards were posted at all the main entry points, and they had blocked off the surrounding streets with piles of scrap metal, old cars, and random trash. It looked a bit primitive compared to Gray’s 10-meter stone barriers, but it seemed to be working fine for them so far.
Once the tour was finished, Gray was invited to join the entire community for a massive dinner. The kitchen staff had used a good portion of the fresh tree meat Gray brought to prepare a giant, hot meal for everyone in the square. Gray sat down at one of the tables, eating his portion and listening to the survivors share their stories. It was clear from the warm atmosphere that the Kingdom residents had already accepted Gray as one of their own.
As darkness fell over the campus, one of the guards showed Gray to a private, secure room where he could sleep for the night. Gray thanked them and stepped inside. The moment he locked the bedroom door behind him, he didn’t go to bed. Instead, he instantly used his Jumper ability to teleport straight back to his brand-new Virginia base.
He walked underground into the server room and found his AI assistant waiting in his new Synth body. "JARVIS, take a drone and record a full, high-definition video tour of this entire new base," Gray ordered. "I need footage of the lofts, the water treatment plants, the indoor mall, and the security grid."
"Right away, sir. It will take only a few moments to compile the data," JARVIS replied.
Thirty minutes later, JARVIS handed Gray the laptop back, fully loaded with the fresh, updated video files showcasing the pristine new fortress. Gray nodded in satisfaction, slid the laptop back into his inventory, and immediately teleported again, this time blinking directly inside his house back at the Atlanta prison. He was going to find Rick and the Council right away to see if any of their current survivors or Woodbury refugees were ready to help kickstart the population at the new Virginia outpost.
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