Shane stopped pacing. He turned sharply and pointed his finger straight at Gray's chest. "You."
The courtyard fell into a sudden, dead silence. Nobody moved. Rick immediately stepped forward, his eyes darting between his partner and the quiet teenager. "Shane, back off," he warned, his voice tight. "This isn't the time."
"No, Rick! It is the exact time!" Shane yelled, his face turning red with anger. He took another step toward Gray, gesturing wildly. "Look at him! Look at his clothes! Two days ago, he was sweating his ass off like the rest of us. Now it's ninety degrees out here, and he's wearing a heavy jacket and baggy jeans, and he isn't even breaking a sweat!"
Gray kept his hands casual in his pockets. He didn't say a word.
"He's dragging two-hundred-pound dead bodies with one hand like they're pillows!" Shane kept yelling, turning to look at the rest of the confused group. "And some of you saw what he did outside the fence! Seven shots. Seven perfect headshots from a hundred and fifty yards away in two seconds! I've trained cops my whole life, Rick. Nobody shoots like that. Nobody moves like that. It ain't natural!"
Dale looked over at Gray, his eyes full of worry. Lori and Carol subconsciously stepped back. Shane's paranoia was contagious, and the group was finally realizing just how strangely Gray had been acting over the past few days.
Rick looked at Gray, his brow furrowed in deep thought. He didn't want to doubt the kid, but Shane's points were hard to ignore. "Gray... what's going on here?"
Gray let out a quiet sigh. He looked around the circle, seeing fear and suspicion on most people's faces. Gray knew he couldn't hide it anymore. If he wanted to start building the heavy stone walls and bringing real power to the prison, the secret had to come out today.
"Alright, Shane," Gray said, his voice perfectly level. "You want to bring everyone's dirty laundry out?" he asked, his voice chillingly calm. He stepped closer to the center of the circle, looking at every single person. "Before you point a finger at me, Shane, let's look at the facts. What exactly have I done to put this group at risk? Nothing. If anything, I'm the reason half of you are still breathing."
The courtyard went completely quiet. Nobody interrupted him.
"I didn't have to put myself in harm's way, but I did," Gray continued, his voice echoing off the concrete walls. "I saved Jim. I saved Amy. I kept Dr. Jenner alive when he was ready to blow himself up, hell, I even saved Merle from the rooftop you guys left him cuffed to. I've killed more walkers than anyone else here, and I'm the exact reason we found this prison and cleared it out. I've given you a clean safehouse, fresh food, and security. Have I done a single thing to be treated like an enemy?"
The group stood in silence, processing his words. Dale looked down, realizing Gray was entirely right. Carol, Amy, and Andrea nodded slightly, and even Daryl kept his arms crossed, silently agreeing. Gray had been nothing but a savior to them since day one.
"See? They know it," Gray said, turning his cold gaze right back at Shane. "You need to mind your own business, Shane. I was already planning on telling everyone eventually. But since you want to talk about secrets and what's 'natural,' let's talk about yours. You wanted this. Remember that."
Shane scoffed loudly, trying to look confident. "I don't have a damn thing to hide, kid."
"Really?" Gray let out a short, mocking laugh. "How many times have you thought about killing your best friend, Rick?"
Shane instantly stiffened. He looked like he was ready to pounce on Gray, his face twisting with rage. "Let me tell you something, man. I would never do anything that would harm Rick or anyone in this group!"
Gray just scoffed at the outburst. "Let's be honest here, Shane. You're not calling me out right now because you're scared for the group or anything like that. You're scared because you think you're losing control. You think just because I'm faster, stronger, and better than you, that you need to get rid of me so you can stay in charge."
Shane kept quiet. His mouth opened to speak, but he shut it immediately. He didn't have a single thing to say.
Finally, Gray turned his eyes smoothly toward Rick's wife. "Lori... have you told them your little secret already?"
Lori's face instantly went pale. She stumbled over her words, her hands trembling. "I... I don't know what you're talking about."
"The fact that you're pregnant and don't even know who the father is," Gray said flatly. He let the words hang in the air for a second before continuing. "But I know exactly who it is."
Gray raised his right arm and pointed his finger straight at Shane's chest, matching the exact way the ex-deputy had pointed at him just moments ago. "It's him."
A loud, chaotic murmur instantly ripped through the group. Shane froze. Lori began to sob quietly, covering her face in shame. Rick stood entirely frozen, his mind completely shattering as he stared back and forth between his wife and his best friend.
Gray didn't wait around for the drama to unfold. He turned on his heel and walked away from the circle, stepping into a large, empty section of the concrete courtyard.
With a single thought, he opened his system inventory. Out of absolute nothingness, the massive RV materialized on the court. Its heavy off-road tires slammed onto the concrete.
The entire group violently gasped. People stumbled backward, some pointing fingers in absolute terror, completely forgetting about the pregnancy bomb for a split second.
"What the hell?!" Merle yelled. "You had this the whole time, and we've been sleeping in tents?!"
"How... how did you do that?!" Dale cried out.
Gray casually turned around and shrugged. "One day, I just woke up with this ability. I can get whatever I want."
Rick took a few staggering steps forward. His face was a mask of pure shock and heartbreak from the news about Lori and Shane, but his eyes were glued to the massive luxury RV. He looked at Gray, his voice trembling. "How long... how long have you had these powers, Gray?"
Gray looked back at him, his expression softening just a fraction. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I've had them since a few days before you found me at the farmhouse."
Rick nodded slowly. "I see." His voice was entirely hollow. He looked at Gray, then turned his gaze to Lori, and finally to Shane. The heartbreak on his face was clear, but he didn't scream, and he didn't draw his gun. He just looked completely exhausted.
"I need some time alone to think," Rick said quietly.
Lori instantly lunged forward, tears streaming down her face as she reached out. "Rick, please-"
She tried to grab his arm, but Rick forcefully shrugged her off without looking back. He turned on his heel and walked away, his boots clicking heavily against the concrete as he headed straight into the dark entrance of the cell block.
A thick, deeply uncomfortable silence fell over the remaining survivors. Nobody knew what to say. Shane stood frozen, staring at the ground with his jaw clenched, while Lori sobbed openly into her hands.
Gray didn't want to get dragged into the middle of their relationship drama. He turned around and walked over to the side of the newly spawned RV, pulling the door open. Before stepping inside, he turned back to face the quiet crowd.
"If any of you are afraid of me, or if you feel like you can't share this space just because I have these abilities... well, the main gates are wide open," Gray announced clearly. "You're free to pack up and leave at any time."
Finally, his eyes drifted over to the Greene family. He looked straight at the old farmer, his expression softening. "Hershel, I'm sorry about this. This is definitely not how I planned for your first day here to go. If you and your family want to leave right now and head back to the farm, I completely understand."
Hershel looked at his family, then at the massive, impossible vehicle parked on the concrete, and finally back at Gray. He let out a slow, calm breath. "Don't mind it, son," Hershel said gently. "We will speak about all of this once everything settles down. Go get some rest."
Gray gave him a respectful nod. He stepped up into the RV and closed the door behind him. He walked back to the queen-sized bed, turned on all the overhead fans to get the cool air moving, and lay down on the mattress.
Gray stayed inside the RV for around three hours. He just lay on the bed, enjoying the cool breeze from the fans and letting his body fully relax. Suddenly, a heavy, impatient knock rattled the door. Before Gray could even get up to answer it, the lock clicked open, and Merle Dixon waltzed inside like he owned the place.
Merle looked around at the luxurious interior, whistling softly. He casually slid onto one of the seats, kicking his dirty boots up on the clean table.
Gray sat up on the edge of the bed and sighed. "What are you doing, Merle?"
"What, a guy can't visit the local wizard?" Merle grinned, flashing a crooked smile. He leaned back, completely unbothered. "Look, kid, I ain't about to treat you differently just because you got some crazy voodoo magic. Long as you ain't turning me into a frog, we're golden."
Gray couldn't help but smile a little. He walked out of the bedroom area and sat down across from him. "Alright."
Merle's eyes instantly lit up with curiosity. He leaned forward. "So, let's talk business, boy. What kind of things can you actually get out of that invisible pocket of yours?"
Gray looked him straight in the eye and told him the absolute truth. "Anything."
Merle's eyes went wide. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning. "Anything? Like... anything anything?"
Gray got a weird feeling in his gut. He knew exactly where Merle's mind was going and decided to beat him to it. "I'm not getting you drugs if that's what you're asking."
Merle froze, looking completely flabbergasted. His jaw sat slack for a second before he pulled his boots off the table and stared warily at Gray. "Can you also read minds, boy?"
Gray chuckles softly and shakes his head. "No. You're just incredibly easy to read."
"Bah," Merle scoffed, waving a hand defensively, though his face turned a little red. "A guy can't blame a man for trying."
Gray casually opened his system interface. He searched the item list and spent a tiny fraction of gold. A second later, a tightly sealed, clear one-pound bag of fresh, green weed materialized out of thin air right into Gray's hand. He tossed it across the table."I can get you weed, but any of the heavier stuff is a hard no," Gray said firmly.
Merle caught the bag out of the air. He stared at the massive quantity of high-grade marijuana, squeezing the bag before bursting into a loud, raspy laugh. "Now that's what I'm talking about! Magic boy delivers!"
He chuckled for another moment, turning the bag over in his hands. But after a few seconds, the laughter died down. Merle turned completely serious. He tucked the bag securely under his arm and looked right at Gray, his rough voice dropping to a low, honest tone. "Listen to me, kid. Don't listen to the crap that asshole out there was saying. You ain't done nothing wrong."
Gray shrugged, completely relaxed. "I know. I'm not bothered by it."
Merle nodded in appreciation, then leaned back to deliver the gossip. "Thought you'd want to know, though. The group went straight to questioning Jenner the second you locked this door. Since he mentioned he already knew about your little tricks, they grilled him pretty good."
Gray raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"Apparently, the majority of the group is actually okay with it. Just a bit scared," Merle explained, waving a hand casually.
Gray stood up from his seat, rolling his shoulders. "That's fine. They can process while we work." He looked down at Merle. "Are you busy right now?"
Merle grinned, patting the bag of weed tucked under his arm. "Nope. But I might be in a few minutes."
"That's gonna have to wait," Gray said, walking toward the RV door. "Gather all the available people who want to help out. Bring them down to the main gates."
Merle didn't even bother asking why. He just pocketed his prize, got up, and gave Gray a mock salute. "You got it, magic boy."
With that, Merle walked out of the RV, leaving the door open behind him. Gray checked his system interface one more time, his gold balance had just hit over the 20 million mark. It was finally time to replace that flimsy chain-link fence, but not before getting the new upgrade.
[New Upgrade]
(20M Gold) 200000 Gold/Hour ✔
[New Hourly Rate]
617,617 Gold/Hour
Gold: 140,567