Accompanied by the sound of helicopter blades, the commotion was such that every survivor in the stadium stopped to stare in horror at the helicopters approaching their position.
It had been a long time since they'd seen anything flying in the sky, and now, witnessing something like this stirred a strange feeling in them. "Not everything is lost," thought those who watched the helicopters slowly descending.
Out of the five large figures, two were AH-64 Apache attack helicopters—powerful aircraft with firepower rarely seen in recent times. These helicopters, and others like them, had been stationed at the military base in Texas that Shane's group had secured.
The stadium was a massive place where helicopters could land with ease. Although much of it was now covered with crops and makeshift houses, Jason's people had no difficulty landing there.
Alicia and the others who had been in the meeting had already come out to witness the commotion outside, and they were surprised to see the helicopters descending toward the stadium. But as if that weren't enough, numerous figures clad in gray military uniforms disembarked, armed and forming up in ranks before Jason, who had walked out to meet the helicopters at some point.
Shortly after more than two hundred soldiers landed in the stadium, a stocky man with a scar on his forehead stepped down from one of the helicopters. He was the only one who didn't fall in line with the others.
Upon seeing that Sam was safe, Jason nodded and, with a faint smile, said, "You arrived sooner than expected. Cleaning out that walker-infested military base must have been tough."
"No, clearing the military base wasn't so difficult, Chief. I'm sure you already figured as much…" Sam replied calmly.
He paused for a moment, looked around, and commented, "This place is interesting. I never would've imagined a group of survivors settling in a stadium. That was a smart move on your part."
Jason remained silent beside Sam. The two of them understood each other without needing to speak plainly; with a few words, they shared what was necessary without letting others in on the meaning.
What they knew about the enemy now was that they were located in some kind of church—at least according to what the Vultures and that mysterious man named Teddy had mentioned over the radio. The next step was to locate that church. Once they took it, they would hunt down every last rat affiliated with the Vultures.
Maybe dealing with the Vultures could've been avoided, but Jason had no intention of letting that plague survive—especially after all the harm they'd caused to those who were simply trying to live.
Gazing at Sam's serious expression, Jason—still lost in thought—said, "We need to organize a meeting. We must completely eliminate the Vultures and every last one of their people. We'll act quietly… and start the search with the churches."
Upon hearing those cold words, Sam knew it was finally time to avenge Billy Fisher's death and put an end to the group that had attacked Jason.
...
In a lonely church in Texas.
The area surrounding the church was wide and open. More than twenty men and women stood or sat around the now-open hall. They were watching the surroundings, yawning from time to time, clearly bored, as if they were waiting for something.
Ennis didn't seem particularly anxious about the wait. One of the men—a strong-built guy with a fierce face—got up from the couch, walked to the window, looked out into the night, and said, "Damn it, listen up. It's been a long time since the group left. Why haven't they come back?"
"What's the rush, Balk? Most of them might not be combat-trained, but they know how to stay alive. You expect them to be back quickly with all the walkers out there?"
Looking at the impatient man, a gaunt middle-aged fellow with a worn-out face and thin body took a long drag from his cigarette and spoke with a calm expression.
Hearing that, Balk turned around with disdain and said to the older man, "Ennis, Melvin hasn't radioed in since they left. You're the one who said, back when Teddy called, that they were all dead. How can you ask for calm when it's pretty damn likely Melvin's already gone?"
"Listen, you idiot... can you use your brain for a second?"
Without even looking at the angry man, a woman named Charlie clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and said, "Did you forget about the group of survivors we dealt with two months ago? Melvin's the one who got you that crap you're holding, so sit down and shut the fuck up."
As she said that, she turned her head toward Ennis and added, "Melvin screwed up when he fired at that damn helicopter. What did he think would happen? If he hadn't done that and drawn the whole damn horde, we wouldn't have lost so many people—and we wouldn't be stuck with such a tiny crew now."
"That's enough!"
The message was clear for Ennis. In fact, he was eager to get rid of Melvin for his stupid actions—but he couldn't say that out loud. It would only spark chaos and discontent. He stood up and took a few steps forward, knowing he needed to take control of the situation.
Since he couldn't eliminate anyone just yet, he sighed and said, "We need to be smart and stay calm. Arguing or throwing around bullshit isn't going to change the fucked-up situation we're in."
Seeing that the boss was regaining control, a woman in the crowd spoke up: "The last message I got over the radio said they took out all the men from the helicopter, but we haven't heard anything since."
"Alright, then. Not all hope is lost!"
With resolve, Charlie nodded and added, "I can approach that group we found recently. I'll go as a spy and figure out exactly what they've got—just like we talked about."
At those words, the people around her reacted in varied ways. They clapped symbolically, but there was no real excitement in their eyes.
"Ennis… boss!"
Just then, the church doors burst open, and a man with a disfigured face came running in, gasping for air. He hurried toward Ennis and stammered, "We got… an urgent message… from the watchers…"
He was stuttering so badly that it pissed off everyone waiting in the hot, tense room. Balk cursed and shouted, "Damn it! If you're going to say something, say it right—or I'll kill you for making me nervous!"
With a violent kick, the man was sent crashing to the floor. He didn't get up for a while, but hearing the others yelling, he eventually rose, trembling.
Seeing how arrogantly Balk was behaving, Ennis called for silence. Looking at the man who was finally standing again, he said calmly, "Breathe. Don't be afraid. Speak slowly."
The man looked at the kind Ennis, then glanced at the terrifying Balk, swallowed hard, and said, "The message said… they're coming… and there's a lot of them. After that… just strange sounds."
"Huh? Strange sounds?"
Upon hearing that, Ennis immediately frowned. He turned his head toward a slim young man beside him and ordered, "Check the outside!"
But at that moment, the church windows shattered from objects that exploded into thick clouds of smoke. When Ennis saw it, he knew they were under attack.