Weeks ago.
Three Spirits Community.
"I'm serious, we were attacked by some crazies! They were equipped with highly advanced uniforms, and I think they're the same ones Bob spotted with his fishing boat!"
A man, kneeling on the ground, was explaining the situation in detail. These men belonged to Julio's group and were known for not having a good reputation when they went out to explore.
Julio, furious upon hearing that Tony did nothing even after dying, shouted, "We need to find them! We have to hunt them all down and kill them."
"Are you listening to yourself?" A woman sitting at a large table, surrounded by others, said, "More than forty people died, and now you want to start a war we don't even know if we can win?"
"What?" Julio raised his voice and pointed, "If it wasn't for that group, you wouldn't be hiding inside a shell, scared of being destroyed."
"Those people..."
"They could be listening right now. Hell, I can't deny that some of us might already be influenced by their power... The only thing I recommend is that we stay united." Reginald said, touching his forehead in exhaustion.
Years had passed since the world ended. In many cities, including the one they were in, the government had made mistakes. However, many didn't accept those mistakes and rebelled against the army, including Reginald, who was a sergeant at the time.
Slowly, they tried to form a group of survivors, hoping for prudent action from the government. But weeks turned into months. Now, everyone knew that no one was coming to save them from this hell. It was too late to do anything; millions had died.
Reginald, an experienced soldier, along with his men, began to gather more soldiers under his command since the collapse of public order. Along with police officers, firefighters, and some other veterans, they formed a group.
They started merging with other groups, but these groups were of different natures. Now, the entire community, merged from seven different groups, had a population of slightly more than four thousand survivors.
These four thousand people were led by seven leaders who did everything possible to maintain peace, keep things functioning, and ensure that relationships were not lost.
But a few days ago, the stability was shattered with the elimination of three of the seven leaders who maintained control and the destruction of many locations that had been converted into their supply points.
Who were these people?
Well, they called themselves the World Liberation Front, a group everyone should fear. The Wolves, who claim to be the rebels who disobeyed the orders of the new government, asked them to join their war against the recent visitors from the United States.
Why should they now belong to a war that wasn't theirs?
It was obvious that everyone refused, but the Wolves couldn't ignore a force as large as the Beaver Community, so they gave them a few days to respond.
Don't they want to reclaim the world before the end of the world?
Don't they want to fight for absolute power?
Isn't everyone angry with the government for not properly protecting the country?
Everyone was, but going to war against someone who might be a hundred times stronger than them? But now that there were four leaders left, two agreed to join, while the other two did not.
A rift had formed, and a clear struggle could happen at any moment. And just a few days ago, with the elimination of Julio's entire squad, which served as one of the remaining four leaders, things were getting intense.
Some thought it was the CRM because of those gray combat suits, but some had information and knew that the CRM soldiers' combat suits were black.
Everyone was disoriented.
...
"The Wolves, are they really trustworthy?"
"We don't know, but we shouldn't get involved in a fight that we know very well we can't sustain... There are stronger walkers in the north of the country; how can we afford to join that group of crazies?"
Reginald was having a conversation with a group of trusted subordinates. He had doubts about what to do next, so hearing others' thoughts always helped in making the right decision.
"That group that killed our men must have defended themselves from an attack. The area we checked was full of dead walkers and many impressive scenes we had never seen before."
"Yeah, no doubt they were attacked by Julio's men."
"Do you think it was the Wolves who did it?" Reginald was doubtful.
"I doubt it. They say they have gray combat gear, and their firepower was so good that they left most of the weapons on the ground."
"Maybe they didn't have time to grab them..."
"Could be..."
"Whatever it is, we need to know that we can't face them. They must have a nearby base; they might even already know about our Beaver Community."
Reginald was about to end the meeting when suddenly the door opened, and a guard said, "We've received a report that a group of ten people has appeared not far from here. They're at least twelve people, and they all seem to be soldiers."
"Damn!"
"What do we do?"
"We can't afford to get into a conflict with them. We need to initiate a conversation and find out what their purpose is in this place."
Reginald knew he couldn't afford to make enemies everywhere since the Fireflies already had them by the throat, so if they had a chance to be peaceful now, they would take it.
...
Now, Reginald knew that this group of unknown soldiers was no ordinary group; they all seemed to be actual soldiers who had once served the country.
But if there was one thing that worried him, it was knowing that these people had extremely strong equipment. Clean clothes, weapons, and magazines full of cartridges—these men weren't lost or just passing through; they were on a mission.