Neo Soul King Yhwach

[Scene Break Location: Hershel's farm]

Nothing interesting happened for the rest of the road to the farm and the group was close to reaching their destination at this point. Yhwach and Mark exchanged glances with each other once the former drove the car into the path they were familiar with. Yhwach slowed down the vehicle once the farm appeared in his view, taking a good look at it as he wanted to see if the farm was abandoned.

He nodded his head to himself, breathing a quiet sigh of relief. The farm didn't seem abandoned and it looked like it did the last time he saw it for the most part. The only difference was the fence as it had even been given barricades. The Greenes must have been still living there. Good. They didn't come all this way for nothing and it was good to know at least some of the people he knew from the time before the walkers were still alright.

"We've arrived," Yhwach said, letting Doug and Mark know they reached had their destination. Mark and Doug leaned closer to the front window of the car, wanting to take a look at the farm.

"...What's going on..." Shawn came into their view a moment later before either of them could voice their idea on how to get the Greene's attention. Shawn's words got caught his in throat once he saw the car and the one familiar man sitting in the front seat of it, "Holy shit. 'Jugram' Is that you?"

Yhwach's expression softened ever so slightly, a rare flicker of something close to warmth as he rolled down the window. "Shawn. It's good to see you again."

Not wasting any time, Shawn quickly opened the gate, allowing Yhwach to drive the car into the farm. Yhwach parked his vehicle close to the gate and turned off the engine as Shawn closed the gate. Yhwach got out of his vehicle, followed by Doug and Mark. Doug and Mark made sure to eye their surroundings, wanting to get to know this place better because they hadn't been here before.

Shawn ran up to them with a smile on his face, his eyes set on Yhwach, "I'm glad to see you again. Good to see a familiar face after all this time."

Yhwach pointed at the reinforced fence, "I see you've reinforced the place."

"Yes. Dad stopped being against the idea after I almost died. He and my brother Arnold began working on reinforcing the farm the day after you left." Shawn explained, earning a nod of understanding from Yhwach as he shifted his gaze from them to the farmhouse, "Dad! We have guests!" shouted Shawn.

The door to the farmhouse creaked open a few moments later, revealing Hershel, who was accompanied by a young woman whom Yhwach didn't recognize. He assumed she was one of Hershel's daughters, though he made no assumptions beyond that, his mind already assessing the situation and planning their next steps.

"Jugram," Hershel finally said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Glad to see you've made it through all this. I was starting to wonder if I'd ever see you again."

For a brief moment, Yhwach's eye twitched—a subtle reaction to seeing Hershel. The old man's advice had lingered in his mind like an echo, one that had grown louder as the days passed. But Yhwach quickly stifled the thought, his face returning to its usual stoic demeanor.

"It's been some time," Yhwach replied, his voice as cold and measured as ever. "I'm relieved to see that you and your family are still holding up."

Hershel's gaze shifted to Doug and Mark, who were standing behind Yhwach. His eyes narrowed slightly as he assessed the two men, then returned to Yhwach with a curious look. "I see you've brought some new faces with you. Who are your friends?"

"These are Mark and Doug," Yhwach said, motioning to each man in turn. "They are part of a larger group we've formed. We've managed to find a new home, but we remembered your promise from three months ago. You said you'd help if we ever needed it, so we came here for a one-time refill—any food you could spare would be appreciated."

"Yes, here you are." mused Hershel. He looked deep in thought for a few seconds. Shawn held his breath wondering whether his father would renege on the promise he had made.

He is a man of honor. There's no way he denies them after what he promised, right? Shawn thought.

"Well, a deal is a deal. However, we value hard work on this farm, so I would appreciate it if you would be willing to work a little before you take our supplies. I suppose you have the time for that?" bargained Hershel.

Yhwach's face darkened slightly as he processed Hershel's request. He had expected some form of bargaining, but a part of him had hoped it wouldn't come to that. Yet, here they were.

"Very well," Yhwach replied, his voice calm, though an edge of irritation flickered beneath the surface.

Mark quickly chimed in, "We'll do whatever we can to help you guys out."

Hershel nodded, pleased with their willingness. "Glad to hear it. Now, Shawn, is there anything you need help with that 'Jugram' and Mark can assist you with? I'll take Doug with Maggie and me to the barn, so we can check on the horses. I have a feeling he'll be more up for that kind of work."

Doug scratched his head slightly, feeling a bit out of his element but trying to remain positive. "I don't mind, really. I'll give it my best shot."

Shawn took a moment to think before responding. "Well, I just brought in the cartons of milk after milking the cows. Chet already helped me tend to the gardens and pick out the vegetables. Maggie and Arnold helped clean the house and do their daily chores. I think all that's left for today is getting more wood. The fence is starting to break in certain places, and I want to reinforce it tomorrow. We could use any extra wood as firewood for this winter."

As Shawn finished speaking, Chet, who had been nearby and overheard the conversation, approached the group with a thoughtful expression. "Hey, if you guys are heading out to gather wood, I can tag along and help out. We could probably cover more ground that way."

Chet's face suddenly lit up as he recognized Yhwach. "Hey! 'Jugram,' it's been a while! How've you been?"

Yhwach simply nodded in acknowledgment, his expression unreadable. Chet hesitated, sensing the tension in the air, and wisely decided not to press further. The once jovial atmosphere quickly turned awkward, and Chet shuffled his feet, trying to fill the silence with a few polite words. But before he could say anything more, a loud voice broke through the moment.

"Shawn!" Arnold's voice was heard drawing everyone's attention. Shawn turned around to see his brother striding over from the house.

Shawn turned around just as Arnold approached the group. "What's up, Arnold?"

Arnold, catching his breath, glanced at Yhwach, Mark, and Doug, his curiosity piqued. "Who are these guys?"

Shawn gestured toward the group, ready to make introductions. "Arnold, meet 'Jugram,' Mark, and Doug. They're with a group we helped out a while back, and now they're here to collect on a promise Dad made."

Arnold nodded, sizing up the newcomers. "Nice to meet you all." He then looked back at Shawn, awaiting further instructions.

Shawn nodded towards Chet before addressing Arnold. "Alright. Why don't you go with 'Jugram' and Mark? We'll split up into two teams of three to gather as much wood as possible. Once we've got what we need, we'll pack up some food for you guys to take back."

Arnold agreed, turning to Yhwach and Mark. "Sounds like a plan. Let's get to it."

Everyone nodded and got to work. Doug headed to the barn with Hershel while Maggie came out of the house and followed them. Arnold, Yhwach, and Mark walked in the opposite direction of the woods that Shawn and Chet were walking in. The air was cooler now and the sun was starting to set. Shawn guessed that it was probably about 4 PM.

Let's get this done quickly, so we can provide food to Jugram and his group without taking up too much of their time. 

I didn't even think about how difficult it was going to be to survive winter without any new clothing. No heat besides the fireplace. You can't even go into stores to escape the winter breeze. I'm glad we live in Georgia. Shawn thought.

Chet was carrying a singular axe with the other being given to Arnold. Shawn wished he could just go down to the store and buy more, but they didn't exactly have a choice nowadays. They had to work with what they got. At least, it was a lot more than what other people had.

The fact that there are other people out there surviving with less than us is a scary thought. How desperate must they be?

"Help!" yelled a voice. Shawn immediately froze and looked at Chet to confirm what he just heard. The two of them looked back at each other as the voice shouted for help once again. Shawn immediately bolted off into the direction of the sound with Chet following right behind him.

Somebody's in trouble. We need to help them.

Shawn pushed back the brush to reveal a man who was currently clutching his ankle. He seemed to be in his mid-20s with a bandana covering his mouth and nose. He looked to be in distress, but Shawn noticed that there weren't any walkers around him.

"Can you move?" asked Shawn. He rushed over to the man and inspected his ankle. Chet quickly followed him while Shawn rushed to aid the fallen man as well.

"No, I can't put any weight on it-fuck!" moaned the man.

"What are you doing out here?" questioned Shawn.

"I was out here doing a supply run with my group. I went a little bit farther than what we cleared as a safe zone. You know, I was trying to be useful. We're kind of on a bad streak of luck and I figured if I found some animals to hunt, then we could eat good." explained the man.

"You're with a larger group? Do they know you're in trouble?" asked Chet.

"No, I actually wasn't really supposed to hunt in the woods today. Like I said, I just wanted to help people. We're starving and we could use anything we get. I accidentally caught my food in a root and twisted my ankle. I don't know if I can stand." said the man.

"Shawn, we have to bring this man back to the farm. He's out here on his own and we have the supplies!" exclaimed Chet.

"The farm? I don't know if my dad would be too partial to that. He doesn't really like strangers." said Shawn.

"Please, I don't know where the other members of the group are. I only joined recently and the only other people out here besides me are an old guy, a guy with glasses, and a chubby guy." pleaded the man.

An old guy, a guy with glasses, and a chubby guy? Wait a minute.

"Wait, are you part of 'Jugram''s group?" asked Shawn.

The man's eyes widened in recognition.

"Oh, yes! Do you know him? Are you friends of his?" asked the man.

"Yes, we're helping his group out with their food situation as a favor for helping us out some months ago. He didn't mention that you guys were this close to us. I'm surprised he didn't show up sooner." mused Shawn.

"So, is 'Jugram' there right now?" asked the man.

"Yeah, of course he is. We'll take you back to him and my dad can get you patched up." Shawn looked at the ankle. He might have been seeing things, but his ankle seemed fine from his view. The man clearly looked to be in pain, so maybe his injuries were more severe than they looked.

"What's your name?" asked Chet.

The man paused for a minute before he looked up at the group. Shawn was surprised to find that the pain in his eyes was gone. His voice showed no signs of his previous agony as he uttered his next words.

"Daniel Dunkin. But you can call me Double D or DD."

Before Shawn could react, he felt something hit the back of his head. He fell to his knees while Chet screamed in horror, but was stopped by another man from reaching his friend. Shawn was seeing black dots from the corner of his vision, but he was able to make out 4 other men besides Double D. Double D, to his credit, stood up without any signs of pain or any noticeable injury.

"SHAWN!!! Who are you?" shouted Chet hysterically.

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up. Fatso!" yelled a voice.

"Calm down, Gerald. The boy is clearly distressed. he's not thinking straight. We have to lay it out real slow for people like him to hear right?" joked a voice.

Shawn looked up at the ringleader of the group as he addressed Chet. "My name is Frank. I'm the leader of this little posse. Here's what's going to happen. You're going to lead us to your farm, so we can take whatever we want. If you don't follow our demands, your friend isn't gonna breathing for another second. Do We FUCKIN' UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER?"

[Scene Break Location: Near Hershel's farm]

"I really don't understand you."

Yhwach turned and looked at Arnold curiously. On his first trip to the farm, Yhwach hadn't really gotten to know the younger Greene all that well. By the time Arnold had shown up to the farm, Yhwach's group was already long gone to Macon. He seemed just as capable as his dad and brother, so Yhwach was glad to have him along for the ride.

Currently, Arnold was cutting blocks of wood from a fallen tree while Yhwach and Mark were watching the woods for any signs of walkers.

"You agree to help with the chores, yet you're sitting over there not doing anything," Arnold complained.

"We're keeping you safe. It's a more important job than you think," replied Yhwach.

"And like…we only have one axe right?" asked Mark.

"I know how to handle a gun, genius," said Arnold.

"Good," Yhwach said, his tone cool. "You'll get to use one once we're back at the farm. Until then, we'll help carry the wood. Fair trade?"

"Fine. Whatever. I think I'm done. Let's just take this now. It should be enough considering it will be a while before winter." stated Arnold.

Arnold picked up most of the wood while Mark picked up the axe along with his rifle. Yhwach chose to hold his pistol and pick up a couple of pieces that Arnold had left behind. It was a hard load to shoulder between the 3 of them, but they kept walking at a fast pace.

Surprisingly, Mark had chosen to remain quiet rather than be his usual chatterbox self. Maybe it was because he was tired. Maybe it was because his last encounter with strangers had a lasting impression on him. Either way, Yhwach found that he enjoyed the relative peace and quiet.

Good things don't last long, however...

A scream was heard from the direction of the farm. The three men looked at each other before dropping the wood and booking it back to Hershel's. Yhwach made sure his weapon was locked and loaded while Mark did the same with his rifle.

"Here, take this!" said Mark who tossed the axe over to Arnold. Arnold caught it without missing a beat. Soon, the three men made it to the clearing of the farm. They expected hordes of walkers to be swarming the front gates, but what they saw surprised them. 3 men had Shawn and Chet at gunpoint while 2 other men were pointing their guns at Maggie and Hershel who had come out to confront the gang.

"I already told you! Give us your shit or you ain't seeing your family ever again!" boomed a man's voice. Mark squinted at the man who said that and froze when he realized who spoke.

"Hey uhhh 'Jugram', is that who I think it is?" whispered Mark.

"Yes..., that's…Frank and Felix. I don't know who those other guys are." confirmed Yhwach.

"Wait, you know these people?" hissed Arnold.

"Yeah, we encountered them at a bar in a town before we got here. They seemed shady as hell and we were lucky that no one got hurt. Still, how the fuck did they get here?" wondered Mark.

They must have followed us. I really should have killed them when I had the chance. Yhwach thought with a frown.

"I'll be damned if I let some hooligans run amok on my property and take whatever they want. I'm giving you one chance, son," warned Hershel.

"Or what?" challenged Frank.

"I might not be able to kill all of you. But I'll make sure you won't be robbing anyone else ever again." Hershel stated. He cocked his shotgun for emphasis. Felix looked like he wanted to blow the man's head off for threatening his friend.

"You kill Frank and we'll kill your whole family nice and slow. Give us what you have or pay the price for it!" said Felix.

"Yeah. If an old man like you is the biggest threat to someone taking this place over, you're not going to live very long anyway. Might as well give your supplies to people that can actually use them and not waste them." agreed one of the unnamed men.

"I can't take any more of this. Do any of you have an extra gun?" asked Arnold.

"Here." replied Mark. He handed Arnold his pistol.

"Hang on. We shouldn't just go in there guns blazing. We might get someone killed. We could play this smart and flank around the barn next to them." observed Yhwach.

"Do we have time for that? Bullets are going to fly any second!" exclaimed Arnold.

Indeed, the barn was to the left of the robbers who, surprisingly, hadn't seen the trio yet. Mark could sneak around and snipe one of the robbers while Yhwach or Arnold could take out whoever tried to rush him. That seemed like a smarter play, but was there enough time for that? Would one of Frank's group develop an itchy trigger finger and start shooting?

They haven't shot at all, though. If they wanted Hershel dead, they would have killed him already. Yhwach thought.

Indeed, the group had only expressed that they wanted supplies. Maybe there was a way to get out of this without anyone getting hurt.

That could just be wishful thinking. I already let them go once. Can I really afford to do it again? Yhwach thought.

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What does [M] (Yhwach) do?

A) Flank the group

B) Shoot them immediately

C) Negotiate with them

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Relationships (Yhwach):

Mark: 12/15

He trusts your judgement and has your back no matter what.

Arnold: 8/15

You already helped out his family, but he doesn't really know you that well. He wants to take out the robbers by any means necessary.

Hershel: 10/15

He hopes that you come and save the day. He's protected by the barrier of the porch, but he knows that his son is not. That scares him.

Shawn: 11/15

He could really use some help right now.

Chet: 11/15

Same as Shawn.

Maggie: 8/15

Same as Arnold.

Frank: 5/15

If you showed your face, he wouldn't be too happy. If something doesn't give, he's going to have to do what's necessary.

Felix: 4/15

Mostly the same as Frank although a bit more trigger-happy.

Caution: Please think before casting your votes. Certain choices could potentially lead to Yhwach and members of his group dying prematurely