[Next Morning.]
The sun was sluggish as it rose, its light stretching across the rubble-strewn horizon like it was reluctant to face the world. I stepped outside, rubbing the last traces of sleep from my eyes. The air smelled like fuel and smoke, and the quiet crackle of distant fires reminded me there was no real peace in this world.
The squad was already up, scattered around the makeshift camp. Some were refueling the vehicles; others were inspecting weapons, heads down, hands busy. Michael was leaning against the Humvee, whistling as he turned his attention towards me, with an empty beer bottle dangling from his fingers. His crooked grin told me he'd had a little too much fun last night.
"Yo, Alan! What are you staring at?" he called, his voice light and teasing.
I smirked, folding my arms. "You. The picture of responsibility. Looks like you had a hell of a time last night."
Michael laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Hey, you were invited. Not my fault you're allergic to fun."
"Right," I said, shaking my head. "I'm sure that bottle made you an excellent marksman."
Before he could reply, Kayla appeared out of nowhere, her boots crunching on the gravel as she joined us. "Alan," she said brightly, "If you give me permission to beat the nonsense out of Michael, I'd be happy to oblige."
Michael groaned, throwing his head back in mock exasperation. "You two never let me live peacefully, do you?"
I couldn't help but smile. Kayla grinned back, her eyes catching the morning light in a way that almost made me forget where we were. Almost.
"All right, that's enough," I said, motioning toward the vehicles. "We've got work to do. There's still a lot of ground to cover, and I'd like to get moving before the sun's fully up."
I climbed into the Humvee, grabbing the radio as I settled into the driver's seat. "All units, we roll out in ten minutes. Get everything squared away."
The radio crackled with acknowledgments, and I leaned back, letting out a slow breath. The weight of leadership never really went away, pressing harder when the stakes asked for it.
My eyes drifted to the pickup truck parked a few yards away. Inside the reinforced cage was the raider we'd captured yesterday. His face was a mess of bruises, but his glare was sharp as ever. The defiance in his eyes hadn't dimmed, even after everything.
"Keep an eye on that bastard," I said into the radio, my tone colder than I intended. "If he so much as twitches, shoot him. There's no such thing as war crime now."
"Copy that," came the reply from one of the soldiers guarding him.
I glanced back at the squad inside the Humvee. Michael was fiddling with his rifle, probably trying to look busy. Kayla was tightening her boots, her movements quick and precise. Conrad sat near the window, his usual smirk replaced by something sharper. Lee stared out the opposite side, lost in thought. William was silent, clutching his medkit like it was a lifeline.
"You guys really trust me that much, huh?" I asked, breaking the silence.
Conrad looked up, his smirk returning. "Hell yeah, we do. You haven't gotten us killed yet. That's more than most people can say these days."
Before I could respond, movement outside caught my eye. Four human-like figures were stumbling toward us from the right. At first, I thought they might be raiders, but their ragged clothes and desperate posture told a different story.
"Survivors," I muttered, rolling down the window. "Hey! Over here!"
One of them, a young man, raised his hand weakly, his face pale and gaunt. "H-help us…" he croaked before collapsing onto the ground.
"Shit," I whispered, heart pounding. "Kayla, grab the medkit—"
But suddenly.... I saw movement in the distance, past the survivors. Dozens of figures, shambling and stumbling toward us. My stomach sank. A horde.
I grabbed the radio. "All units, heads up! We've got a horde incoming approximately.... I don't fucking know! 70 infected maybe for god sake! And… oh fuck… there's a screamer in the motherfucking horde as well."
The word hung in the air like a death sentence. One scream, and that horde would move faster than we could handle.
"Get ready for a fight!" I shouted, my voice sharp and urgent. "Michael, on the truck! Kayla, right flank! Conrad, grenades only when they cluster! Lee, left flank! William, stay back unless someone's bleeding out. Move!"
The squad scrambled into action, the tension crackling like static. Kayla grabbed her rifle, her jaw tight. Michael cursed under his breath as he climbed onto the Humvee, adjusting his scope. Conrad checked his grenades, muttering to himself, while Lee loaded his last magazine with shaking hands.
I grabbed the radio again, dread pooling in my chest. "Yuri-3, do you copy?!" The team that I left to guard the convenient stores.
[Just for extra information, since all the vehicle is covering the convenient stores from the front the team that Alan left couldn't see what was going on.]
The line hissed for a moment before a voice answered. "Copy, sir. What's going on?"
"A horde's heading our way! 70 infected, including a screamer," I said quickly. "Get into defensive positions, use the vehicles for cover, and DO NOT let that screamer get close."
"Understood," they replied, their tone shifting to match mine. "Setting up now."
The infected were getting closer, their grotesque forms shuffling and lurching through the haze. The screamer was in the middle of the pack, its jaw hanging unnaturally wide. I could almost hear its scream in my head, a sound that could bring everything crashing down.
"Steady," I muttered to myself, gripping my rifle. "Steady."
The first infected broke through the treeline, its decaying face twisted in a hungry snarl. I raised my weapon, took a breath, and squeezed the trigger.
"Hey! Get the prisoner inside the stores! And get two men with gun to watch them! And as I said before do not hesitate to shoot if they tried anything funny!" I quickly said, ordering them to bring the prisoner "safety" somewhere safe.
As I quickly shifted my focus from one to another. I quickly grabbed my radio again.
"Sniper team, shoot that fucking screamer. As soon as you got a perfect entry!" I said with a panic voice.
"C-copy that sir." They said, their voice is shaking. This is the first time they have seen a horde this big. And so do most of us.
"Fuck.... They're 4 kilometres away," I muttered quietly, "There's enough time... How can we shifts their paths..." I quickly thought of a way to get them far from our place without needing to waste any ammunition.
"Sniper team, drop that fucking screamer." I quietly said. Everyone was shocked, if the horde heard the loud bang of the sniper they could be more aggressive.
"Are you listening?!" I shouted into the radio, urging the sniper to pulled the trigger.
[What could be going on in Alan mind right now?]
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Sorry for the late post, but here you go 🤗