TWD - Chapter 569: The First People's Assembly (Patreon)

A week later, the square at the industrial park was packed.

More than three thousand people crowded together, a sea of heads so dense there was barely room to stand. Sunlight fell across their expectant faces as every eye turned toward the raised platform.

Calista stood above them in a dark gray combat uniform. Her pale-gold hair was pulled into a tidy ponytail, and the sunlight streaming from behind gave her an almost radiant confidence.

Leah, Rickson, Gabriel, and Deanna stood at her back.

Calista stepped forward. Someone shouted, and the crowd erupted in cheers that swept across the square like a wave.

"Supreme Commander! Supreme Commander! Supreme Commander!"

She raised one hand. Gradually, the noise died away.

Her voice was not especially loud, yet everyone could hear her. "Hello, everyone! Welcome to Rock Fortress's first People's Assembly, and thank you for coming!

"Rock Fortress started as a little camp. We've come this far because of everything we've done together."

Then she began to count off their accomplishments.

"We secured Blackberry Ranch, giving us farmland and pastures for livestock."

"We wrested the industrial park from raiders and walkers. Now we have production lines that help provide a decent standard of living."

"Power has been restored at Norris Dam. You don't have to stumble around in the dark at night anymore."

"We've expanded the Defense Force. While you sleep, someone stands guard for you."

"We've improved the points system and made every step more transparent. The more you contribute, the more you earn. Those who contribute nothing earn nothing. That's fairer to everyone."

"And we've launched the Knoxville plan! Soon, we'll start taking our city back from the walkers, one piece at a time!"

The square exploded with excitement.

Calista paused, studying the faces below. Howard and his wife had tears in their eyes. Aaron and Eric were beaming. A burly Reaper whose name she couldn't remember was grinning from ear to ear.

"You know something?" she continued. "None of this was my achievement alone. Every one of you helped make it happen."

The crowd went still, listening closely.

Calista thrust an arm toward them, her voice rising. "Whether you work at Rock Fortress, Blackberry Ranch, or the industrial park, whether you patrol a watchtower or fight beyond our walls, every single one of you has given your all to bring us here!"

Her voice rang out across the square. "You are the foundation of Rock Fortress!"

A voice shouted, "Supreme Commander!"

Others took up the cry. "Supreme Commander! Supreme Commander!"

She held up her hand again. The cheering faded, and the people watched her expectantly.

"Today, I want to talk about why we're doing all this," she said, meeting their eyes.

She let the words settle before continuing.

"Why repair the hydroelectric dam and develop geothermal heating from the hot springs? So we can have lights at night and warmth in winter. So you don't have to fear the cold or the dark.

"Why expand the Defense Force? Because the walkers won't disappear on their own, and the raiders won't suddenly become decent people.

"Why improve the points system? Because someone who refuses to work shouldn't earn as much as someone who works hard.

"And why are we going to fight for Knoxville?"

Calista sighed, and a note of concern entered her voice. "Because we're running out of room here."

A ripple of laughter passed through the crowd. Calista laughed with them before going on.

"Thirty-five hundred people squeezed into this industrial park. In six months, that might be five thousand. In a year, ten thousand. Where will everyone live then?"

She pointed into the distance, her eyes brightening. "But Knoxville is right there!

"The East District borders our territory. It has houses, hospitals, and a university campus.

"The South District has the Tennessee River and its docks.

"The North District has villas and upscale neighborhoods.

"Downtown has government buildings and skyscrapers.

"The West District has hotels and shopping centers.

"Everything you can imagine needing is there in Knoxville."

Her expression hardened. "And right now, the walkers have it all! But it belonged to us! Many of you are from Knoxville, and so am I!

"Those damned walking corpses stole our friends and families, our memories, everything we had before the world fell apart!"

The crowd stirred uneasily.

"Some people ask me what good taking it back would do. Wouldn't living in a city be dangerous? Aren't cities more dangerous than the countryside in an apocalypse?"

She swept her gaze across the square. "Of course it's dangerous! But do you really think staying here means we're safe?"

Calista took an impassioned step forward. "There is no such thing as absolute safety in this world! We still have a choice. We can sit here until the walkers surround us and slowly kill us, or we can strike first, reclaim what's ours, and live with dignity again, the way people did before the apocalypse!"

"She's right!" someone yelled, and more voices joined in.

Calista raised her hand for silence. "But understand this. We won't fight that war for nothing."

She looked out at the assembly, suddenly solemn. "There will be blood and sweat. Some of us may even die.

"The land we take back won't be handed out for free. Each of us must do our part to build it up and keep it running.

"Anyone looking to shirk their work can go hungry. Anyone hoping for a free ride can forget it. And anyone planning to stir up trouble is welcome to try!"

Her voice grew steely. "Those are the rules. The rules of Rock Fortress, and my rules!"

The force of her words silenced the square.

Then Calista softened her tone. "But I can also tell you what you stand to gain by following those rules."

She gestured toward the city. "The East District of Knoxville has the UTK campus, hospitals, housing, and infrastructure that's still intact. More importantly, it can become our real home. A home like the ones we knew before!

"The walkers destroyed our world. We'll rebuild civilization there!"

Somewhere in the crowd, eyes began to fill with tears.

"I know what your lives have been like," Calista said more gently. "You wake each morning wondering whether you'll survive the day. You fall asleep dreaming about the dead and the walkers. You never know what tomorrow will bring.

"But we don't have to keep living like that."

She took a step forward, pointed toward the people wiping their eyes, and opened her arms as though she could embrace them all. "Follow me, and we can move forward together! You won't have to live in fear or go hungry anymore!"

"We'll follow you!" someone shouted.

Calista lifted a hand, her face solemn. "Then remember one thing.

"You don't get a life worth living in this apocalypse by waiting for someone to give it to you. You earn it for yourselves.

"What you put in is what you get back.

"That is the rule of Rock Fortress!"

Her voice rang across the whole square. "If you can live by that rule, stay, and we'll build our future together. If you can't, the gate is right over there. You're free to leave."

For a moment, there was silence. Then a voice called out.

"I'm staying!"

"Me too!"

"We're all staying!"

The cries swelled until the entire square was chanting, "Supreme Commander! Supreme Commander! Supreme Commander!"

Gabriel saw that the crowd had reached a fever pitch and chose his moment to step forward.

He wore a black priest's robe, with a silver cross hanging at his chest. There was a gentle, compassionate air about him.

Slowly, he raised one hand toward Calista. His steady voice carried across the square. "The Lord's grace has descended upon this land. And she is the one the Lord has chosen."

The crowd fell silent.

Gabriel continued gravely. "She is our Supreme Commander, our beacon in the apocalypse, the one who will lead us out of darkness. She is Chaos!"

A few people began to whisper the name. "Chaos..."

Their voices grew louder and fell into rhythm, as if something extraordinary were emerging from the ruins of the old world.

At last, more than three thousand people roared as one, their voices seeming to shake the square. "Supreme Commander! Chaos!"

Calista stood on the platform, watching them stand together and call out the same name. Her eyes began to sting.

Everyone needed a name to live by, and now she had three.

Calista was who she was.

Supreme Commander was her responsibility.

Chaos was what these people believed in.

She would live up to the immense trust they had placed in her.

She was no all-powerful god, but she would be their god.

In a world crawling with walkers, where order itself had collapsed, Calista resolved to carry the hopes of all those people. She would lead everyone who followed her toward a life worth living and build a new order that belonged to them.