I drove the cars back to our base, feeling a mix of satisfaction and regret. I had avenged my companion they had killed, but I had also killed many people in the process. I wondered if it was worth it, if there was any point in fighting and surviving in this hellish world.
As we approached the entrance of our town, I saw Jana's group waiting for us. They had been our allies for a while, helping us with supplies and information.
I stopped the cars and got out, facing Jana and her companions. They looked at me with curiosity and concern, noticing the captives I had brought with me. They were the survivors from Sam's group, the ones that the grouped tortured and used as a bait. I had spared them, hoping to get some answers from them. But they had nothing to say, only fear and hatred in their eyes.
"What's up?" I asked Jana casually.
"We just came from the town near here, did you perhaps loot there in the past?" Jana asked me, pointing to the direction of the town where we found Shana.
"Yeah, we looted the police station, why?" I answered, wondering what she was getting at.
"Oh.. I see— we got attacked by an unknown group you see and we just want to know if you know something about them" She added.
"Attacked? I don't know— that town is deserted, so how come there's a group there?" this is new to me, I actually know nothing about what she is taking about.
"We also don't know, anyway, I've taken a lot of your time, you should go now, sorry for the bother" She said, trying to end the conversation.
"Oh, it's nothing. We'll be going then" I said, and got back to the cars. I started the engines, and drove away. I looked at Jana's group in the rearview mirror, and saw them watching me with fear and idolized. I smiled, and waved at them.
I left Rex, Roger and the others at the entrance of the mountain, where they would guard our base. It was still under construction, but it was already a fortress. We had taken taken their materials and equipment. We had also rescued many women from Sam's group, who had been treated as slaves, their spirits broken.
I drove the car to another village, a bit far away from our new soon to be base. I had arranged a safe place for them, where they could recover and heal. I had also given them a choice, a chance to change their fate.
As I stepped out of the car, I looked at the two trucks behind me. They were carrying the women we had rescued from Sam's group. There were more than 50 of them, and they looked like they had been through hell.
Their eyes resembled those of lifeless dolls, and some had even expressed a desire to be killed. They had been abused and tortured by Sam's group, who had used them as bait, as entertainment, as objects. They had lost their dignity, their will, their humanity.
They lined up, still not themselves, looking like half-dead people. I shot my pistol upwards, startling them and making them frightened. They shook, panicked, and even begged me.
"That's the spirit!" I shouted, "So you all do want to live! With all that begging and panicking you all do, you all have the energy to live, huh!" I shouted they look at me silently
"Ladies! Take this as your second chance to live! Throw away the past! Here, this will be your start to become your new selves! Your new lives! Your new souls! Throw away everything that resembles your past! From now on, you are my people! My family! I will give you new names! Take this as a chance to build your new selves while leaving the past behind!" I shouted, hoping to inspire them.
The women remained silent, but I knew that leaving them alone might lead to self-destruction. I separated them from the main group, allowing them the opportunity to heal and overcome their traumatic experiences. I also provided them with food, clothes, medicine, and weapons. I taught them how to fight, how to survive, how to live.
I watched as a car arrived at the village, kicking up dust on the dirt road. The driver's door opened and Shana stepped out. She looked around and saw me waiting for her.
"So these are the people that you want me to take care of?" she asked as she walked towards me.
"Yeah, these are the women that we rescued from the city. They had been through hell and I want you to heal them. It's a waste if we left them alone. They can be valuable assets for us if we train them well." I said.
Shana glanced at the group of women who were sitting on the ground where they are eating. They looked scared and exhausted, some of them had bandages and bruises.
"Hmm... Okay, if it's your order then I don't mind, but isn't this place too big for them? They are just 50+ after all." she said.
"Ah, I plan to expand our base after we finished construction the new one. I want to connect it to other villages and make a big community." I said.
"Oh, that's a good idea. If I'm correct, there are three villages that are near the base and one of them is this village, while there are also two villages that are a bit far away. But I'm confused, didn't you say it yourself that you don't want them to be far as it might lead to betrayal?"
"Oh, well yeah of course, but this time, I'll separate those who are trustworthy only. These women have no fighting power and they will surely be grateful towards us if they can be healed. They will also be loyal to us if we treat them well and give them a new purpose."
"I see, okay then. I'll do as you said. I will bring my group here to help them and protect them. As you said, only women right? Because they are scared of men."
"Yup, only women. You can assign some of them to work in the fields, some to learn skills like cooking and sewing, and some to train in combat and weapons. They will be useful for our cause."
"Okay then, you can go now."
"Thank you for your help." I said and left. I had other things to do. I hoped that Shana would be able to heal the women's wounds, both physical and mental. They deserved a better life than what they had before.
I left the village and headed back to the mansion, where Rex, Roger and the others were waiting for me. They all were my loyal and strong comrades. I had a big announcement to make.