Rick's hood was violently ripped off.
The blinding beam of a searchlight hit him from above, making it impossible for him to open his eyes for a moment.
He was kneeling in the center of a vast, empty factory workshop, the cold concrete floor emitting a mixture of rust and engine oil smells.
In the shadows all around were guards holding firearms. Above them, the metal walkways were also filled with people, all their dark muzzles pointed downward.
On one side of the workshop, in a "Safe Zone" separated by containers and wire mesh, was a crowd of survivors; mostly the elderly, weak, women, and children.
Rick quickly scanned his surroundings.
Soon, he discovered that everyone in his team was kneeling on the ground, their hands tied behind their backs. Lori, Carl, Shane, Daryl, Merle, T-Dog, Jacqui, the Jones Family... and so on.
He checked carefully once more; aside from the escaped Ed and a few other survivors, only the people from their few vehicles had been captured!
Glenn, Sophia, Miranda, and her children were not here!
Rick's heart pounded wildly; this was definitely good news.
He wasn't counting on Glenn to come rescue him.
Rather, if Glenn and Miranda truly escaped, they might be able to rescue the people in that RV... He didn't dare think about the tragic state of the RV. But he forced himself to believe Morales was right—the vehicle hadn't flipped at high speed, they still had a chance.
Glenn would find a way. Louis... that child would be fine.
Rick took a deep breath, suppressing the emotions churning in his heart. As for himself... a flash of cold killing intent flickered in his blue eyes.
He would definitely find a way to lead the remaining people out of this factory hell!
"Look! Sinners!" a voice came from the "Safe Zone."
Rick turned his head. The middle-aged woman who had been with the child on the highway and whom they had rejected was standing at the front of the crowd, pointing at them with disdain.
"More new sinners..."
"Look at them, not a single sign of repentance..."
Amidst the whispers of the crowd, a figure walked into the center of the searchlight's halo. He wore simple work clothes and had an ordinary face, but his eyes held a kind of almost fanatical calm.
He was "The Shepherd."
"Quiet."
He merely raised his hand slightly, and all the murmuring came to an abrupt halt.
"My children," The Shepherd's voice came through a loudspeaker, carrying a strange sense of composure, "Today, we have found a group of souls who only know how to take and do not know gratitude in this apocalypse!"
He walked down the stairs, slowly pacing in front of Rick and the others.
"Our people found your vehicles, filled with food, medicine, and fuel. In a world of famine like this, you, a mere twenty-odd people, hoarded so many supplies."
He turned to the watching Believers and said loudly: "What is this? This is greed!"
"That's right! Greed!" the crowd erupted in agreement.
The Shepherd pointed again to the Observer woman: "My Observer, a helpless mother, holding her young child, begged you for shelter by the roadside."
"And you, driving nearly empty vehicles, rejected her without hesitation, only throwing down a few cans of food as if dismissing a beggar."
"What is this?"
"Indifference! Selfishness!" The crowd's anger rose higher.
"Finally." The Shepherd walked up to Rick, knelt down, and looked at him calmly, "Our young brother, Martin. He was just a child who made a mistake; he wanted to join you, and you..."
He stood up, his voice suddenly rising:
"You brutally murdered him! You crushed his skull in the dark and left him in the ruins to die!"
"This is murder!!"
"Bullshit!" Daryl was the first who couldn't hold back. He jerked his head up, veins bulging on his neck. "That bastard was your scout! He was a damn bandit! We found his notebook!"
Hearing this, The Shepherd did not get angry; instead, he showed a look of compassion: "A notebook? Perhaps it was a child's diary? You only see what you want to see."
"He was just a lost child!" The Shepherd's voice was full of charisma. "He made a mistake, but you refused to give him a chance to repent! You are not even as merciful as God!"
"That was a fucking accident!" T-Dog also roared in disbelief. "The ceiling fell and crushed him! You brain-dead idiots who can't understand human speech!"
"Alas!" The Shepherd shook his head. "Lies and denial will only make your sins even heavier."
Rick's heart sank completely.
He simply couldn't understand how there could be such shameless people.
Regarding Martin, they clearly got what they deserved. As for that woman, although they didn't let her on the vehicle, they helped her drive away the bandits and left food and water. How did it become evidence of a crime in the mouths of these people?
"Listen!" Morgan looked at his family, trying to make one last effort. "We didn't know your rules."
"But we couldn't just let strangers into our cars without knowing their background."
Jenny hurriedly added: "We have our own children too!"
"Danger?" The middle-aged woman laughed shrilly. "What danger do we pose? We were just a defenseless mother and son!"
She glared at Jenny again: "Is it only your children who are children? Are other people's children not important!?"
"This..." The two were momentarily speechless.
Rick knew that reasoning with these lunatics was useless.
He took a deep breath and tried to approach it from another angle: "If you need a judgment... then I am the only sinner."
"All the decisions were made by me," Rick met The Shepherd's gaze. "I was the one who rejected that woman, and I was the one who decided the distribution of supplies. They are all innocent."
"Bullshit, Rick!" Shane growled. "You don't have a damn bit of guilt! Stop talking nonsense!"
"No, Rick!" Lori also shook her head with tears in her eyes.
Rick ignored them and insisted: "They just wanted to survive; they were only following my orders."
"Is that so?" The middle-aged woman was relentless. "If they are truly innocent, why did not a single person stand up to say a word for me back then? They just watched indifferently as I was left behind by your leader!"
"Just as you respect your Shepherd!" Rick immediately countered. "In the group, my word is law! Even if they were dissatisfied, they wouldn't contradict me in public! They are innocent!"
"You have a child; you know how hard it is to survive outside."
He looked at the woman. "Was it any different for the others on the vehicles? Let them go, at least... let the women and children go!"
"Ha!" Daryl suddenly glared at the middle-aged woman: "The only old man who stood up to speak for you, wasn't he blown to death by your rocket launcher?! Huh?!"
He suddenly roared, "You have the fucking nerve to say this crap!"
"Bang!" A guard kicked Daryl hard in the back, sending him sprawling on the ground, but he still stared deathly at the group.
"Daryl!" Merle's eyes looked ready to burst.
The woman's face also turned somewhat pale. She was choked by Daryl's words and didn't know how to answer for a moment.
The Shepherd, however, slowly began to clap.
"Well said." He walked up to Rick. "But you are wrong."
"Here," he spread his arms, gesturing to the surrounding Believers, "we are equal, and we respect each other. I understand their thoughts, and they listen to my voice. No one must listen to anyone."
"If the people on your vehicles were truly as innocent as you say, they should have stood up and argued their case instead of remaining silent."
"As for that old man," he shook his head, "he was even more abominable. Although he contradicted you, he could not persist to the end."
"He gave people hope for nothing, only to snuff it out with his own hands. Such behavior is useless except for showing off his own ridiculous 'kindness'; it is truly hypocritical to the extreme!"
"We should have executed you sinners on the spot," The Shepherd turned to face his Believers, "but now, we are willing to give you a chance to face judgment!"
He raised his arm high: "Be grateful for our mercy, sinners!"