"Don't question my orders, deserter. You're alive for one reason only you're useful in the field and in skirmishes with the infected, nothing more. I know how to fight," the lieutenant said.
"I've already realized my mistake. I won't open my mouth when it's not needed," I replied curtly.
The fight ended fairly quickly. A squad of soldiers no fewer than thirty came down from the rooftop, all of them decently armed. They immediately began stripping the bodies for ammo and weapons.
"Hell of an ambush. Finally made those bastards bleed," a man said with satisfaction judging by the insignia on his shoulders, a captain.
We stepped out as well. Those who had never seen the horrors beyond the zone watched what was happening with surprise, even fear. Not everyone, despite everything they'd been through, had witnessed truly terrifying things.
"Alright. We didn't hit these two vehicles. Looks like we can take them without any trouble," the captain said, pointing at the intact transport.
The plan had worked perfectly. Lure in a group of jackals, take their vehicles, wipe out their squad. If they'd brought more trucks and moved as a larger force, the jackals could've attacked with their entire horde. But for now, we were just easy bait and they'd swallowed it.
The vehicles were checked and confirmed operational. Everyone was seated. Eric and I were placed in the back with two soldiers. One was driving, the other kept his eyes on us the entire time.
Another squad stayed behind to cover our withdrawal, making sure no new group could follow us.
We covered a significant portion of the route without any pursuit from the jackals, but it didn't give me much hope. There wasn't much I could influence once we arrived. Everything depended on the pilots whether they'd be able to get the helicopters airborne or not.
After six hours on the road, we finally stopped. We needed some rest and something to eat. Lieutenant Harper gathered everyone.
"Past Brookville, we have almost no intel on the route ahead. Recon reports say the area along the way doesn't have any major concentrations of infected, but a lot could've changed. The fuel we have will last us another fifty kilometers, maybe. We need to check every settlement without any known factions and look for gasoline, as well as any resources that might help us. Recon teams will consist of the smuggler and the deserter, accompanied by Sergeant Brown. I'll stay behind with Private Carter to protect the pilots."
Looks like Eric and I were going to be the ones risking our necks. I had a feeling we were brought along precisely for that to be, so to speak, the first ones to step into the line of fire, not because of our skills.
"We're not useless. We can help too," came the voice of the only woman in the squad.
I studied her face closely, and it was like a picture finally came together. Something about her had changed, yet individual features remained the same. What was her name again…
"Mis"
"Just Bella," she said.
Right. She'd had a friend with her back then, too. Didn't know she could fly a plane.
"Well, Bella, I'm not going to forbid you from helping. Extra hands won't hurt. You're a backup option, but an important one. A lot depends on our success possibly the fate of all Pittsburgh," the lieutenant said.
"I'll go with them," she said.
He hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"You've had combat training. You know how to handle a weapon. Don't get in the way, and keep a close eye on those two scouts. I was against bringing them along in the first place. I'd rather have two reliable men than them, but the colonel insisted on having a coward present," the lieutenant said.
"Hey. You can call me a traitor all you want, but I'm no coward. If there's a fight to be had, I'll take it even with just this knife," I said. I was sick of his contempt.
Yes, I'd left FEDRA, but circumstances had forced my hand. The squad was wiped out, the outpost on the outskirts I'd been sent to was destroyed, and the bite marks on my body and the infection that followed meant I never would've been allowed back into a quarantine zone, let alone FEDRA.
"I don't care. Move out. Grab the fuel cans and check those houses, those buildings, and the vehicles," the lieutenant snapped.
When your opponent has a gun, all the leverage in negotiations is on their side. It was too early to try running they wouldn't just let us go.
The exhausting work of scavenging for anything useful began. Judging by the state of things, people had already been here more than once but there was still plenty left if you knew how to look.
From time to time, infected would draw our attention, and we dealt with them quietly. At least, I did. Eric avoided direct confrontations whenever possible, always trying to slip past groups instead of clearing them out. I saw it differently. If you had a chance to kill an infected without being noticed, you took it. Otherwise, once you were spotted, there would be more coming.
"You're still just as fearless. Maybe a bit harsher now… and older," Bella said. Outside, she'd volunteered to help a couple of times, taking out infected with me covering her. The frightened girl I remembered had turned into a capable fighter. She hadn't lost her beauty, though.
"Well, thanks," I muttered. Not exactly a flattering compliment older.
"I thought about you often. I thanked you in my thoughts. I wanted to meet you again," she said warmly.
"He's not the one you should be thanking. Without FEDRA, there wouldn't be any quarantine zones at all," the sergeant cut in.
"I know. That's why I joined you. But still he saved my life," Bella said, shooting me a brief glance.
"Looks like you're a knight, rescuing damsels in distress," Eric smirked. As usual, his comment was completely out of place. Despite everything, he didn't seem grim that same strange optimism clung to him, like he was sure we'd make it. Unlike me.
"Want me to save you too? I can throw you into a basement full of infected first," I said with open mockery.
"Yeah, I'll pass," Eric replied.
I smirked faintly. Incorrigible.
We moved on to the next building. It was hard to assess the situation from outside, so we were sent in to scout while the sergeant and Bella stayed out.
"Eric, you do realize they didn't bring us along because of our experience or skills, right?" I said.
"I don't know," Eric answered, uncertain.
"To refuel and get the transport running, they need time. After sitting idle this long, the engines will need a proper warm-up. And to buy that time, they'll need a distraction. And what's better bait than expendable people? That's us," I said.
Even then, I had a bad feeling about all of this. We just needed one chance to slip away and we'd survive.
"Does it really matter? You can leave anytime, Victor. Nothing's tying you down. This zone became my home. For all its problems, it's still my home. My friends are here. Family. People I know. I can't just abandon them. I know better than anyone what'll happen if a horde breaks through and we end up trapped between them and those thugs. The whole city will fall. Isn't it worth it if I'm the only one who has to pay the price?" Eric said.
His words made me pause. I hadn't realized he was that attached to all of it. And worst of all I understood him. Leaving the city would be easy for me. For him, it wouldn't.
"And what about your talk of a vaccine?" I asked.
"I still believe you'll succeed. Maybe without me. If you do run. Leave me behind. I'm the reason you were locked up. I'm the one who has to pay for my mistakes. I won't drag you down with me," Eric said.
"What a hero," I shook my head. Friendship might be worth more than you think.
"To hell with you and all your nobility. I'm not letting you die here," I said, punching him lightly on the shoulder.
Footsteps sounded behind us, and the sergeant hurried over with Bella.
"I thought you'd already bolted. What's taking so long?" he said.
"Thought we heard infected," I replied shortly.
After digging around a bit more, we managed to scavenge about thirty liters of fuel more than enough to cover most of the remaining route. Everything else was minor: some food and a few useful items.
When we got back into the transport, my thoughts started spiraling. I kept running through scenarios how to make sure the helicopters lifted off with the supplies… and how all three FEDRA soldiers might just accidentally fail to make it onboard.