Lisa and her classmates found themselves flanked by Richard and his team, shielding them from both the front and the rear.
Up ahead, Richard led the charge, his assault rifle delivering precise, almost silent shots that took down approaching zombies with ruthless efficiency.
"Three zombies, two o'clock!" came the sharp call from Specter 2.
"Copy!" Richard responded tersely.
Without hesitation, he swiftly adjusted his aim, his weapon barking as he neutralized the threat, three undead targets dropping to the ground.
Lisa and her classmates couldn't help but feel awed at Richard. It was like they were looking at a different person. They still haven't processed the fact that Richard is working in the military, and based on the exchanges between him and his men, it seemed to be that he was the leader.
Richard grabbed Lisa by the arm as they moved up the stairs.
"Brother…" she gasped softly, the word slipping out almost unconsciously.
"We are approaching the fifth floor. It would be easy from here as we already cleared his floor," Richard said.
On the other end of their group, Richard's team maintained a steady onslaught. Gunfire erupted as they relentlessly fired at the pursuing zombies, unloading a barrage of bullets to keep the undead threat at bay.
With Richard leading the way, they stepped onto the fifth floor and walked over to a room where the stairs leading up to the rooftop is located. There, Lisa and her classmates were hit by the decaying and rotting smell of the corpses lying lifelessly on the stairs.
"Eagle Actual to Jolly 1, we're approaching the rooftop," Richard's voice crackled over the radio.
"Jolly 1 to Eagle Actual, we're waiting for your arrival," came the response.
Richard reached for the doorknob and glanced over his shoulder. His men were still firing their assault rifles at the pursuing zombies. He returned his attention in front of him and pushed the door open.
When Richard opened the door, Lisa and her classmates scanned the surroundings. There were survivors looking at them inquisitively and a cool-looking helicopter parked nearby, its rotors spinning.
"Follow me," Richard said as he ran towards the Pave Hawk. Lisa and her classmates trailed behind.
One of the special mission aviators slid the side door of the helicopter open and waited there to lend a hand.
"Jump inside," Richard said as he turned to face Lisa and her classmates, offering them a hand.
"Inside the helicopter..?" Lisa asked. His brother led a troop and a helicopter to take them out. It was all hard to believe.
"Yes! Hop in now. We need to go," Richard urged and one by one, he helped Lisa and her classmates climb into the helicopter.
The special mission aviators counted the survivors that entered the cabin and noticed something.
"Sir, I thought we were rescuing ten students?"
"There was a mistake, there's only seven," Richard said.
"Ahh…" the special mission aviator let out an understanding nod.
Inside the helicopter, Lisa and her classmates found seats and secured themselves with the provided restraints. Meanwhile, outside the helicopter, the students who were on the rooftop approached Richard and asked.
"Sir…why are you not taking us? Why only them?"
Lisa turned her head towards her brother and the student, trying to listen to the conversation.
"Well, they are the reason why we are here in the first place," Richard answered.
"Huh? But why? What separates them from us? We are students just like them!" the student demanded, raising his voice as the helicopter rotors were drowning out the noise around them.
"Because one of them is my little sister," Richard revealed sternly.
"But aren't you in the military? Why does that matter?" the student pressed, his tone incredulous.
"We are not from the military," Richard corrected. "We are a…" he paused as he pondered for a name. "We are a private military company called Blackwatch and I am its boss. We are not affiliated with the Armed Forces of the Philippines or the country's government. But we still can take some of you but we can't take you all due to the limited spaces."
When the students heard him saying that, they rushed towards the helicopter, asking and pleading to be saved.
"Hey hey hey! Back off!" one of the Delta Forces shouted, raising his weapon in a show of authority. The others followed suit, forming a protective barrier between the students and the helicopter.
"Sir please take me!"
"No, take me!"
The pleading voices of the students echoed amidst the chaos as they desperately tried to convince Richard and his team to take them aboard the helicopter.
Richard clicked his tongue, this is difficult. The primary objective of them coming here was solely to save her little sister and her classmates. He bought two helicopters to prepare for a circumstance where there'd be more survivors, but he didn't expect there'd be this lot.
This is probably one of the hardest decisions he is going to take. It's like him choosing who will live and who will die. But before he could say a word, his radio cracked to life.
"Eagle Actual, this is Specter 1. We've got company. An element is closing in on our position from the west, moving fast, approximately 300 meters out."
Richard's eyes widened as he heard that news. "Specter 1, can you get a visual on it?"
Graves grabbed his binoculars and peered through it.
Graves' voice followed, carrying a sense of urgency. "Sir…you won't like this. It's the same monster from the feed at the command center."
A curse escaped Richard's lips; it was a nightmare he'd hoped to avoid. "Jolly 2, keep that monster at bay. We're taking off."
"Copy that Eagle Actual,"
Jolly 2 hovered away and unleashed a hail of bullets at the incoming threat. The tracers streaked through the air, punctuating the darkness with lethal intent.
Meanwhile, Richard signaled his men to board the helicopter, and they complied promptly.
"Wait, sir! You are not going to take us?"
Richard's gaze hardened as he met the pleading eyes of the students left behind.
"I'm sorry, but we can't take you. There's a mutated zombie heading to our location, and we have to leave or we would risk our helicopters."
"But sir! Please…you can't leave us like this! We won't survive a day or two. Please, sir, have mercy on us!"
Richard's jaw clenched, and he took a deep breath, trying to steady his emotions. "I'm sorry sir but I can't."
As Richard turned around, the student who was pleading for his help, grabbed him by the arm, stopping him.
Richard's jaw clenched, and he took a deep breath, trying to steady his emotions. "I'm sorry, sir, but I can't."
As Richard turned around, the student who was pleading for his help grabbed him by the arm, stopping him.
Richard swiftly turned around with an M9 Beretta and fired it in the air. The gunshot echoed through the air, startling both the students and his own team. The sudden noise brought a tense silence to the rooftop, all eyes fixed on Richard.
The student who grabbed him, let go of his arm.
"Stay back! If you come closer I swear I'll shoot you."
It must be one of the coldest and heartless words he had said in his life but Richard knew that in this apocalyptic world, he can't save everyone, despite him having a mysterious power.
"Sir…please!" The student cried. "I'm begging you sir…we don't want to die in this place."
"I'm sorry," Richard said softly. With a heavy sigh, he turned around and sat in the cabin.
The Pave Hawk slowly made its ascent, and Richard couldn't bear to look down as the rooftop grew smaller beneath them. The faces of those left behind haunted his thoughts. He clenched his fists, struggling to control the guilt that churned within him.
Inside the helicopter, Lisa and her classmate's eyes were on Richard and saw him struggle inwardly. It was also hard for them to look at the students left on the rooftop.
But they couldn't rest yet, as there was an enemy threatening them. Richard's eyes followed the movement of the monster, who was jumping from one building to another to catch up on them.
Jolly 2's GAU-2 minigun was raining lead on it but it seemed ineffective as it shows no sign of slowing down despite it being hit a hundred times.
However…he saw something floating above its head. He almost forgot, he can see the health bars of the infected. And by the look of it, the Jolly 2 had already dealth twenty percent of its total health. The gun was effective but it lacked the firepower to effectively kill it immediately.
He glanced over his shoulder and there was the crate where the Javelin launchers are placed.